Are Wall Street Analysts Bullish on United Airlines Stock?

Core Viewpoint - United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (UAL) has a market capitalization of $33.7 billion and provides various air transportation services, including passenger and cargo transport, ground handling, flight academy, and maintenance services for third parties [1] Group 1: Stock Performance - UAL has underperformed the broader market over the past 52 weeks, with shares declining 1.3%, while the S&P 500 Index gained 15% [2] - Year-to-date, UAL's stock is down 6.2%, compared to a 1.9% return for the S&P 500 [2] - UAL has also lagged behind the State Street SPDR S&P Transportation ETF (XTN), which rose 6.4% over the past 52 weeks and 5.7% year-to-date [3] Group 2: Financial Performance - In Q4, UAL reported total operating revenue of $15.4 billion, a quarterly record, which is up 4.8% year-over-year and in line with Wall Street expectations [4] - The adjusted EPS for UAL declined 4.9% year-over-year to $3.10, but still exceeded analyst estimates [4] Group 3: Future Earnings Expectations - Analysts project UAL's EPS to grow 25.6% year-over-year to $13.34 for fiscal 2026 [5] - UAL has a strong earnings surprise history, exceeding consensus estimates in each of the last four quarters [5] Group 4: Analyst Ratings and Price Targets - Among 25 analysts covering UAL, the consensus rating is a "Strong Buy," with 21 "Strong Buy," two "Moderate Buy," and two "Hold" ratings [5] - AllianceBernstein maintained an "Outperform" rating on UAL and raised its price target to $136, indicating a potential upside of 29.6% from current levels [6] - The mean price target of $136.31 represents a 29.9% premium over UAL's current price, while the highest price target of $156 suggests a potential upside of 48.7% [6]