United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Stock Rating Lowered by TD Cowen

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) was downgraded by TD Cowen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on UAL. UBS Group upped their price objective on United Airlines from $145.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on United Airlines in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 target price for the company. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of United Airlines in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Rothschild & Co Redburn cut their price target on United Airlines from $125.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $148.00 price objective on shares of United Airlines in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $135.14.

United Airlines Price Performance

UAL opened at $90.68 on Tuesday. United Airlines has a fifty-two week low of $52.00 and a fifty-two week high of $119.21. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $109.09 and a 200 day moving average of $104.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market cap of $29.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.87, a PEG ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 1.25.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 20th. The transportation company reported $3.10 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.13. United Airlines had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 25.13%. The business had revenue of $15.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.35 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.26 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. United Airlines has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.000-1.500 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 12.000-14.000 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that United Airlines will post 12.96 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other United Airlines news, President Brett J. Hart sold 19,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.45, for a total transaction of $2,022,550.00. Following the sale, the president owned 264,638 shares in the company, valued at $28,170,715.10. This represents a 6.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Airlines

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UAL. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID bought a new position in United Airlines in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Financial Consulate Inc. bought a new stake in shares of United Airlines during the third quarter valued at about $29,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Airlines in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Airlines in the third quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, BOCHK Asset Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of United Airlines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 69.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting United Airlines

Here are the key news stories impacting United Airlines this week:

• Positive Sentiment: United reported a record day of bookings and is seeing strong travel demand heading into spring and summer, which supports revenue and unit-revenue outlooks. United Airlines just set a daily record for bookings, but that isn’t helping the stock (MarketWatch)
• Positive Sentiment: Barron’s highlights that despite fuel fears, the record bookings day provides operational and revenue momentum that could help UAL navigate a near-term earnings hit from higher fuel. United Airlines Just Had Its Best Ever Day of Bookings. There’s Hope Amid Fuel Fears. (Barron’s)
• Neutral Sentiment: Options-market activity shows increased trader interest in UAL, indicating higher volatility expectations but not a clear directional bet. Watch open interest and put/call skew for short-term signals. Market Whales and Their Recent Bets on UAL Options (Benzinga)
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent price swings have prompted fresh valuation checks and analyst commentary; some research pieces discuss whether the selloff creates a buy opportunity, but conclusions vary. United Airlines Holdings (UAL) Valuation Check After Recent Share Price Volatility (Yahoo Finance)
• Neutral Sentiment: Press item about DriveWealth / Ualá expanding U.S. stock investing in Mexico is unrelated to United Airlines’ fundamentals and likely has no material impact on UAL. DriveWealth Powers Ualá’s Launch of U.S. Stock Investing in Mexico (Business Wire)
• Negative Sentiment: Rising crude and jet-fuel prices tied to the Iran conflict are pressuring airline margins; macro commentary warns airline stocks face significant downside if oil stays elevated. Higher fuel costs directly hit UAL’s profitability and could offset booking strength. Airline stocks headed for a ‘world of hurt’ on oil spike: Peter Brandt (MSN)
• Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen downgraded United from “strong-buy” to “hold,” signaling reduced analyst conviction and likely contributing to selling pressure. Analyst coverage note (Zacks)
• Negative Sentiment: Broader analyst pieces (MarketBeat/MarketWatch) argue the market selloff in airlines after the Iran attacks may be justified given rising jet-fuel cracks, canceled Middle East flying and the potential for weaker leisure demand if energy-driven inflation persists. Is the Airline Stock Dip After the Iran Attacks Justified? (MarketBeat)

United Airlines Company Profile

United Airlines Holdings, Inc operates United Airlines, a major U.S. full-service passenger carrier providing scheduled air transportation for passengers and cargo. The company offers a comprehensive route network that covers domestic markets across the United States as well as extensive international service to Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific. United operates a mixed fleet of narrow- and wide-body aircraft on point-to-point and hub-and-spoke routes, and supports corporate and leisure travel through offerings such as premium cabins, basic economy, and ancillary services including baggage, seat selection and in-flight amenities.

In addition to passenger operations, United provides cargo services through United Cargo, handling freight, mail and specialized shipments.