Research Analysts Set Expectations for AAL Q1 Earnings

American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ:AAL) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research raised their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of American Airlines Group in a research note issued on Monday, February 16th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the airline will post earnings of ($0.33) per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of ($0.39). The consensus estimate for American Airlines Group’s current full-year earnings is $2.42 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for American Airlines Group’s Q2 2026 earnings at $0.90 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.29 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.98 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $1.85 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.98 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.62 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.46 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.42 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $2.49 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $3.51 EPS.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on AAL. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of American Airlines Group in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $17.00 price objective on shares of American Airlines Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. UBS Group lifted their target price on American Airlines Group from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on American Airlines Group in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $17.00 target price for the company. Finally, Argus raised American Airlines Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $17.19.

American Airlines Group Stock Down 5.3%

Shares of American Airlines Group stock opened at $13.35 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $14.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $13.55. The stock has a market cap of $8.81 billion, a PE ratio of 78.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.25. American Airlines Group has a 12 month low of $8.50 and a 12 month high of $16.50.

American Airlines Group (NASDAQ:AAL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The airline reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.38 by ($0.22). American Airlines Group had a negative return on equity of 5.90% and a net margin of 0.20%.The business had revenue of $14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.86 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. American Airlines Group has set its Q1 2026 guidance at -0.500–0.100 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 1.700-2.700 EPS.

Institutional Trading of American Airlines Group

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AAL. Compound Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in American Airlines Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $174,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of American Airlines Group by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,349,837 shares of the airline’s stock worth $51,353,000 after purchasing an additional 96,145 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in American Airlines Group by 151.6% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 104,251 shares of the airline’s stock worth $1,598,000 after purchasing an additional 62,812 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its stake in American Airlines Group by 8.4% in the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 59,864 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $918,000 after purchasing an additional 4,653 shares during the period. Finally, State of Tennessee Department of Treasury grew its holdings in American Airlines Group by 14.1% in the 4th quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 308,915 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $4,736,000 after buying an additional 38,236 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.44% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting American Airlines Group

Here are the key news stories impacting American Airlines Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised several longer‑term and FY2026 earnings estimates (and bumped some quarterly forecasts), which suggests analysts see improving earnings power over the next 12–24 months and could provide upside support to the stock. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: High‑profile reputational support for CEO Robert Isom (a Yale professor praised him) may ease some governance/leadership concerns but is unlikely to move near‑term fundamentals. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short interest data shows effectively negligible short positions in AAL (no meaningful short‑interest signal), so today’s move doesn’t appear driven by short covering or a large new short build.
• Negative Sentiment: Rising crude/jet fuel prices are pressuring airline margins and are explicitly cited as testing AAL’s 2026 earnings outlook; investors are also focused on the company’s 10‑K filing and an upcoming safety‑related vote, which raise near‑term uncertainty. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive comparisons (Delta outperforming on earnings beats, dividend hikes and stronger price performance) highlight relative weakness for AAL and may keep downward pressure on the stock until American demonstrates clearer margin or rate‑premium recovery. Read More.

About American Airlines Group

American Airlines Group Inc is a leading global airline holding company headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. Formed in December 2013 through the merger of AMR Corporation (parent of American Airlines) and US Airways Group, the company operates one of the world’s largest passenger and cargo networks. Its subsidiaries include American Airlines, which provides mainline service, and American Eagle, a network of regional carriers operating short- and medium-haul routes on behalf of the mainline carrier.

The company offers scheduled air transportation for passengers and cargo to more than 350 destinations in over 50 countries.