American Airlines Group (NASDAQ:AAL) Issues Q4 2026 Earnings Guidance

23 Oct 2026, 17:28 by Mitch Edgeman · The Markets Daily

American Airlines Group (NASDAQ:AAL – Get Free Report) issued an update on its fourth quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Friday. The company provided EPS guidance of -1.100–0.500 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of -0.410. The company issued revenue guidance of $16.7 billion-$17.1 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $16.5 billion. American Airlines Group also updated its FY 2026 guidance to -1.600–1.000 EPS.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on AAL shares. Weiss Ratings raised shares of American Airlines Group from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Barclays decreased their target price on American Airlines Group from $19.00 to $14.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 11th. Zacks Research downgraded American Airlines Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of American Airlines Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, October 10th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price objective on American Airlines Group from $12.50 to $13.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 18th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $17.29.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on American Airlines Group

American Airlines Group Price Performance

AAL stock traded down $0.66 during trading on Friday, hitting $11.95. 28,672,066 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 77,299,945. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $13.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $13.93. The company has a market cap of $7.91 billion, a PE ratio of -24.39 and a beta of 1.37. American Airlines Group has a 1 year low of $10.09 and a 1 year high of $18.79.

American Airlines Group (NASDAQ:AAL – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The airline reported ($0.28) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.36) by $0.08. American Airlines Group had a negative net margin of 0.56% and a negative return on equity of 9.11%. The firm had revenue of $16.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.21 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.17) EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 19.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that American Airlines Group will post -0.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Airlines Group

In other American Airlines Group news, SVP Angela Owens sold 40,077 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.26, for a total value of $611,575.02. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 178,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,728,472.74. The trade was a 18.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Key American Airlines Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting American Airlines Group this week:

Positive Sentiment: American Airlines reported third-quarter revenue of approximately $16.3 billion, up 19.3% year over year and above analysts’ expectations. Premium seating and international traffic outperformed domestic operations, while the 83.4% load factor indicated solid demand. American sets new revenue records amid historic fuel cost pressure
Positive Sentiment: Fourth-quarter revenue guidance of $16.7 billion to $17.1 billion implies roughly 20% growth and is above the $16.5 billion consensus estimate. The company also plans to moderate capacity growth and emphasize higher-yielding fares. US airlines favor higher fares over fuller planes as fuel costs squeeze profits
Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley maintained an “overweight” rating on AAL, although it reduced its price target from $24 to $22. The revised target still implies substantial potential upside if profitability recovers. Morgan Stanley stock recommendations
Negative Sentiment: Higher revenue did not translate into profitability. American reported an adjusted loss of $0.28 per share and a net loss of $269 million, while fuel expense rose approximately $1.9 billion, or 67.5%, year over year. Management cited historically high fuel prices as the primary pressure on margins. American Airlines forecasts 2026 loss as fuel costs outpace fare gains
Negative Sentiment: Profit guidance was the main stock-market disappointment. AAL now expects a fourth-quarter adjusted loss of $0.50 to $1.10 per share, versus the $0.41 consensus estimate, and full-year 2026 EPS of negative $1.00 to negative $1.60, below the roughly negative $0.97 consensus. Rising oil prices subsequently pressured airline shares across the sector. American Airlines sinks as oil prices pressure airline shares

About American Airlines Group

(Get Free Report)

American Airlines Group Inc is a holding company whose principal subsidiary, American Airlines, provides scheduled passenger air transportation and air cargo services. The company operates a large mainline network under the American Airlines brand and offers regional service through carriers operating as American Eagle. Its services include domestic and international flights, connecting passengers through a network of hubs and focus cities.