United Continental Holdings Inc (UAL) Short Interest Update

United Continental Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:UAL) saw a significant increase in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 21,022,387 shares, an increase of 11.3% from the February 15th total of 18,887,278 shares. Approximately 7.7% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,591,384 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 8.1 days.

NASDAQ UAL opened at $81.49 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.54. United Continental has a 52-week low of $64.79 and a 52-week high of $97.85. The stock has a market cap of $21.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.93, a P/E/G ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 0.98.

Get United Continental alerts:

United Continental (NASDAQ:UAL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 15th. The transportation company reported $2.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $1.84 by $0.57. United Continental had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 5.15%. The firm had revenue of $10.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.34 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.40 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that United Continental will post 11.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Several equities analysts have issued reports on UAL shares. Cowen reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $99.00 price objective (up previously from $94.00) on shares of United Continental in a report on Thursday, January 17th. Vertical Research started coverage on United Continental in a report on Monday, February 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $103.00 price objective on the stock. Zacks Investment Research lowered United Continental from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised United Continental from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $95.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 10th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group started coverage on United Continental in a report on Monday, November 19th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $113.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. United Continental has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $100.88.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UAL. MML Investors Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Continental by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 4,486 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $376,000 after buying an additional 336 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund purchased a new position in shares of United Continental during the fourth quarter worth about $379,000. Municipal Employees Retirement System of Michigan purchased a new position in shares of United Continental during the fourth quarter worth about $515,000. Kentucky Retirement Systems purchased a new position in shares of United Continental during the fourth quarter worth about $834,000. Finally, HighPoint Advisor Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Continental during the fourth quarter worth about $879,000. 97.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

TRADEMARK VIOLATION NOTICE: This news story was first published by Ticker Report and is the property of of Ticker Report. If you are viewing this news story on another publication, it was illegally stolen and republished in violation of U.S. & international copyright law. The legal version of this news story can be read at https://www.tickerreport.com/banking-finance/4222003/united-continental-holdings-inc-ual-short-interest-update.html.

About United Continental

United Continental Holdings, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides air transportation services in North America, the Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. It transports people and cargo through its mainline and regional operations. As of December 31, 2017, the company operated a fleet of 1,262 aircraft.

Further Reading: How Buying a Call Option Works