JetBlue Airways Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:JBLU)

by · The Markets Daily

JetBlue Airways Corporation (NASDAQ:JBLUGet Free Report) saw some unusual options trading on Thursday. Stock investors purchased 71,189 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 119% compared to the typical daily volume of 32,467 call options.

Insider Activity at JetBlue Airways

In related news, Director Vivek Sharma sold 32,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.41, for a total transaction of $173,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 35,479 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $191,941.39. This represents a 47.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Thomas Winkelmann sold 35,473 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.70, for a total value of $166,723.10. Following the transaction, the director owned 13,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $62,881.30. This represents a 72.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 2.41% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On JetBlue Airways

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in JBLU. ING Groep NV acquired a new stake in JetBlue Airways in the third quarter valued at $4,920,000. Citigroup Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of JetBlue Airways by 91.0% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 813,375 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $4,002,000 after buying an additional 387,543 shares in the last quarter. U S Global Investors Inc. raised its stake in JetBlue Airways by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. U S Global Investors Inc. now owns 4,728,754 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $21,516,000 after acquiring an additional 219,622 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in JetBlue Airways by 72.8% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 839,551 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,820,000 after acquiring an additional 353,606 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP grew its holdings in shares of JetBlue Airways by 185.8% during the fourth quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 462,258 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,103,000 after purchasing an additional 300,522 shares during the last quarter. 83.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

JetBlue Airways Trading Up 8.0%

JBLU stock traded up $0.37 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $4.98. 30,678,641 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 24,913,209. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.85 billion, a PE ratio of -2.57 and a beta of 1.73. JetBlue Airways has a 1-year low of $3.84 and a 1-year high of $6.50. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $4.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $4.97. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.25.

JetBlue Airways (NASDAQ:JBLUGet Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported ($0.87) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.72) by ($0.15). JetBlue Airways had a negative net margin of 7.78% and a negative return on equity of 32.76%. The firm had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.24 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.59) EPS. JetBlue Airways’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that JetBlue Airways will post -2.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on JBLU. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “sell” rating and issued a $3.50 target price on shares of JetBlue Airways in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of JetBlue Airways in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. TD Cowen raised shares of JetBlue Airways from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Susquehanna lifted their target price on shares of JetBlue Airways from $4.00 to $5.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners raised shares of JetBlue Airways from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $8.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $4.93.

View Our Latest Research Report on JetBlue Airways

JetBlue Airways Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

JetBlue Airways Corporation is a low-cost scheduled passenger airline headquartered in Long Island City, New York. Since commencing service in 2000, the carrier has built a reputation for combining competitive fares with enhanced onboard amenities, including free in-flight entertainment, complimentary snacks and beverages, and onboard Wi-Fi. JetBlue operates a single fleet type of Airbus A320 family and Embraer 190 aircraft, which supports its focus on efficiency and operational consistency.

The airline’s core offerings include economy-class travel and a premium business-class product known as Mint, which features lie-flat seats, curated culinary options and elevated service on select transcontinental and international routes.

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