United Airlines Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:UAL)

06 Apr 2026, 14:34 by Michael Walen · The Markets Daily

United Airlines Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:UAL – Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading on Monday. Stock traders acquired 253,351 call options on the company. This is an increase of 697% compared to the average daily volume of 31,777 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UAL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays upped their target price on shares of United Airlines from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $155.00 to $132.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 20th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of United Airlines from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of United Airlines from $145.00 to $130.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of United Airlines in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $131.19.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on UAL

United Airlines Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of UAL traded down $0.45 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $91.76. The company had a trading volume of 1,146,289 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,813,114. United Airlines has a fifty-two week low of $53.36 and a fifty-two week high of $119.21. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $101.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $102.84. The stock has a market cap of $29.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 20th. The transportation company reported $3.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.13. United Airlines had a return on equity of 25.13% and a net margin of 5.68%.The business had revenue of $15.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.35 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.26 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Airlines will post 12.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Airlines

In other news, President Brett J. Hart sold 19,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.45, for a total value of $2,022,550.00. Following the sale, the president directly 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Airlines

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UAL. World Investment Advisors raised its holdings in United Airlines by 42.7% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 10,576 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,183,000 after buying an additional 3,167 shares during the period. PeakShares LLC purchased a new stake in United Airlines during the fourth quarter worth approximately $58,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in United Airlines by 17.5% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 108,672 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $12,152,000 after buying an additional 16,185 shares during the period. Pure Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Airlines in the fourth quarter worth $270,000. Finally, OCONNOR A Distinct Business Unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Airlines in the fourth quarter worth $5,591,000. 69.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About United Airlines

(Get Free Report)

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.