Key Factors to Evaluate Before Investing in United Airlines (UAL)

By Kim Brooks • Friday, August 22 10:12 • Permanent Link

We're taking a closer look at United Airlines today, as the chatter surrounding the stock has increased notably in the last few weeks. Today, its shares moved 4.4% compared to 1.0% for the S&P 500. Increased investor interest and volatility surrounding the stock are not reason enough to buy in -- you should first perform your own due diligence. Here are some figures that can get you started:

United Airlines Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides air transportation services in the United States, Canada, Atlantic, the Pacific, and Latin America.
United Airlines has moved 124.4% over the last year compared to 13.1% for the S&P 500 -- a difference of 111.3%
UAL has an average analyst rating of buy and is -5.68% away from its mean target price of $107.55 per share
Its trailing 12 month earnings per share (EPS) is $9.97
United Airlines has a trailing 12 month Price to Earnings (P/E) ratio of 10.2 while the S&P 500 average is 29.3
Its forward earnings per share (EPS) is $12.09 and its forward P/E ratio is 8.4
The company has a Price to Book (P/B) ratio of 2.46 in contrast to the S&P 500's average ratio of 4.74
United Airlines is part of the Consumer Discretionary sector, which has an average P/E ratio of 20.93 and an average P/B of 2.93
United Airlines has on average reported free cash flows of $216.33 Million over the last four years, during which time they have grown by an an average of 10.0%

The above analysis is intended for educational purposes only and was performed on the basis of publicly available data. It is not to be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Any buy, sell, or other recommendations mentioned in the article are direct quotations of consensus recommendations from the analysts covering the stock, and do not represent the opinions of Market Inference or its writers. Past performance, accounting data, and inferences about market position and corporate valuation are not reliable indicators of future price movements. Market Inference does not provide financial advice. Investors should conduct their own review and analysis of any company of interest before making an investment decision.