United Airlines (UAL) closed the most recent trading day at $99.34, moving +1.35% from the previous trading session. This change outpaced the S&P 500's 0.17% gain on the day. Meanwhile, the Dow experienced a rise of 0.55%, and the technology-dominated Nasdaq saw an increase of 0.09%.
The airline's shares have seen an increase of 6.88% over the last month, surpassing the Transportation sector's loss of 0.9% and the S&P 500's gain of 4.59%.
The upcoming earnings release of United Airlines will be of great interest to investors. The company is forecasted to report an EPS of $1.9, showcasing a 50.9% downward movement from the corresponding quarter of the prior year. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $17.58 billion, up 15.41% from the prior-year quarter.
For the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $9.43 per share and a revenue of $66.59 billion, representing changes of -11.21% and +12.72%, respectively, from the prior year.
It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for United Airlines. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. Hence, positive alterations in estimates signify analyst optimism regarding the business and profitability.
Our research reveals that these estimate alterations are directly linked with the stock price performance in the near future. To capitalize on this, we've crafted the Zacks Rank, a unique model that incorporates these estimate changes and offers a practical rating system.
Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. Over the past month, there's been a 18.7% rise in the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. United Airlines presently features a Zacks Rank of #5 (Strong Sell).
In terms of valuation, United Airlines is currently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 10.39. This expresses a discount compared to the average Forward P/E of 10.77 of its industry.
One should further note that UAL currently holds a PEG ratio of 0.83. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. The Transportation - Airline industry had an average PEG ratio of 0.94 as trading concluded yesterday.
The Transportation - Airline industry is part of the Transportation sector. Currently, this industry holds a Zacks Industry Rank of 203, positioning it in the bottom 17% of all 250+ industries.
The strength of our individual industry groups is measured by the Zacks Industry Rank, which is calculated based on the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within these groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
You can find more information on all of these metrics, and much more, on Zacks.com.
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United Airlines Holdings Inc (UAL): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).