Investors Buy High Volume of United Airlines Call Options (NASDAQ:UAL)

15 Sep 2026, 17:44 by Michael Walen · The Markets Daily

United Airlines Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:UAL – Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Traders acquired 68,583 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 254% compared to the average daily volume of 19,390 call options.

United Airlines Stock Down 2.6%

NASDAQ UAL traded down $2.78 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $106.18. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,869,201 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,855,661. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $118.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $108.35. The company has a market capitalization of $34.46 billion, a PE ratio of 9.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.27. United Airlines has a 52 week low of $84.64 and a 52 week high of $138.77.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.99 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.88 by $0.11. United Airlines had a return on equity of 19.05% and a net margin of 5.56%.The business had revenue of $17.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.62 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.87 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. United Airlines has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.000-11.000 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that United Airlines will post 9.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on UAL shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of United Airlines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of United Airlines from $153.00 to $137.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $156.00 to $203.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on United Airlines from $130.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on United Airlines from $132.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $155.91.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on United Airlines

Insider Activity

In other United Airlines news, CEO J. Kirby sold 159,321 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.05, for a total transaction of $18,807,844.05. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 797,851 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $94,186,310.55. This represents a 16.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Andrew Nocella sold 5,000 shares of United Airlines stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.00, for a total value of $585,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 214,955 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,149,735. This trade represents a 2.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 221,629 shares of company stock worth $26,328,598 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.86% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Airlines

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UAL. Root Financial Partners LLC increased its holdings in United Airlines by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,840 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $206,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the period. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Airlines by 17.0% in the 1st quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 861 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $79,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Fielder Capital Group LLC boosted its position in shares of United Airlines by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Fielder Capital Group LLC now owns 2,473 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $276,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in United Airlines by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,914 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $360,000 after buying an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in United Airlines by 32.1% in the first quarter. Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 654 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. 69.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About United Airlines

(Get Free Report)

United Airlines Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ: UAL) is the parent company of United Airlines, Inc, a major U.S. airline headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. United provides scheduled air transportation for passengers and cargo, serving destinations across the United States and connecting North America with international markets throughout Latin America, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.