​United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) is one of the Cheap NASDAQ Stocks to Buy Now. On December 5, John Godyn from Citi initiated United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) with a Buy rating and a $132 price target. Earlier on December 3, Catherine O’Brien from Goldman Sachs reiterated a Buy rating on the stock with a price target of $115. ​Godyn of Citi sees a positive setup for airline stocks heading into 2026. He anticipates that 2026 will see the beginning of an elongated mid-cycle for the air ...

Core Insights - United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) is receiving significant attention from Wall Street analysts, with a reaffirmed 'Buy' rating and a price target of $123, indicating a potential upside of nearly 36% [1] - Moody's Ratings upgraded United Airlines' corporate family rating to Ba1 from Ba2 and the backed senior secured rating to Baa3 from Ba1, reflecting improved operating performance across various revenue sources [2][3] Financial Performance - The company is projected to exceed $63 billion in revenue by 2026, with an expected operating profit of at least $5.5 billion [2] - Despite anticipated higher capital expenditures in the coming year, free cash flow is forecasted to be over $1.5 billion [3] Capital Structure and Ratings Outlook - Moody's suggests that if United Airlines effectively transitions its capital structure to unsecured debt, with a debt/EBITDA ratio reaching 2.5x, there is potential for further rating upgrades [3]

Core Viewpoint - United Airlines Holdings, Inc. has faced challenges in stock performance and revenue expectations, despite a generally positive earnings outlook from analysts. Financial Performance - United Airlines has a market capitalization of $30.2 billion and reported Q3 2025 revenues of $15.2 billion, which missed estimates [1][4] - The adjusted EPS for Q3 2025 was $2.78, showing a year-over-year decline of 16.5% [4] - For the fiscal year ending in December 2025, analysts expect adjusted EPS to rise over 1% year-over-year to $10.72 [5] Stock Performance - Over the past 52 weeks, UAL stock has returned 16.6%, underperforming the S&P 500 Index, which increased by 17.3% [2] - Year-to-date, UAL shares are down 3.4%, while the S&P 500 has gained 15.9% [2] - Despite this, UAL has outperformed the Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund's 14.1% rise over the same period [3] Analyst Ratings and Price Targets - The consensus rating among 21 analysts covering UAL is a "Strong Buy," with 17 "Strong Buy" ratings, two "Moderate Buys," and two "Holds" [5] - J.P. Morgan analyst Jamie Baker reaffirmed a "Buy" rating with a price target of $156, suggesting a potential upside of 65.4% from current levels [6] - The mean price target of $123.15 represents a 30.6% premium to UAL's current price [6]

Core Viewpoint - United Airlines Holdings Inc. is identified as one of the most undervalued large-cap stocks currently available for investment, with recent price target increases from TD Cowen and JPMorgan reflecting positive sentiment towards the company's future performance [1][3]. Group 1: Price Target Adjustments - TD Cowen raised its price target for United Airlines from $127 to $138 while maintaining a Buy rating, following the company's Q3 2025 results and Q4 2025 guidance [1][3]. - JPMorgan also increased its price target for United Airlines from $149 to $156, assigning an Overweight rating to the stock [3]. Group 2: Strategic Positioning - The airline is well-positioned to benefit from its UnitedNext strategy, which aims to modernize the fleet, expand the network, and enhance customer experience [2][3]. - Management projects that the UnitedNext strategy will result in an annual margin expansion of one percentage point through the end of the current decade, with analysts suggesting potential for upside in these projections [3]. Group 3: Industry Context - The outlook for United Airlines has been revised positively as the post-COVID airline industry stabilizes, indicating a more favorable operating environment for the company [2][3].

Core Viewpoint - United Airlines is expected to report a decline in earnings per share (EPS) while experiencing modest revenue growth in its upcoming quarterly earnings report [2][6]. Financial Performance - The anticipated EPS of $2.64 represents a 20.7% decline from the same period last year [2][6]. - Revenue is projected to increase by 3.1%, reaching approximately $15.3 billion [2][6]. Industry Context - United Airlines is among major U.S. carriers reporting financial results as the third-quarter earnings season begins [3]. - The total revenue passenger miles across major carriers are expected to reach 278.8 billion, with total available seat miles forecasted to increase to 328.9 billion [3]. Valuation Metrics - The company's price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is approximately 9.81, indicating market valuation of its earnings [4]. - The price-to-sales ratio stands at about 0.55, reflecting investor willingness to pay per dollar of sales [4]. - The enterprise value to sales ratio is around 0.96, and the enterprise value to operating cash flow ratio is approximately 5.76 [4]. Financial Leverage - United Airlines has a debt-to-equity ratio of approximately 2.45, indicating significant reliance on debt financing [5][6]. - The current ratio is about 0.70, suggesting limited ability to cover short-term liabilities with short-term assets [5]. - The company offers an earnings yield of about 10.19%, providing a return on investment based on its earnings [5].

Core Viewpoint - Delta Air Lines is expected to reach new highs in 2025, with concerns over tariffs and geopolitical tensions being overstated [1] Financial Performance - Delta's Q2 results showed record-setting quarterly adjusted revenue, outperformance on earnings, and solid margin results, indicating a strong growth trajectory [3] - The company generated $2 billion in free cash flow in the first half of the year, on track to meet its full-year target of $3 to $4 billion, likely ending at the higher end of that range [4] - Delta reduced its adjusted net debt by $1.7 billion, a 10% decrease in just two quarters, and increased its dividend significantly [4][5] Shareholder Value - The dividend increase of 25% brings the annualized payout to nearly $1.00, with a reliable payout ratio of approximately 10% of earnings expected to grow robustly over the next two to three years [5][6] - Q2 business activities resulted in an improved cash position, increased current assets and total assets, reduced liabilities, and nearly a 15% increase in equity [6] Revenue Growth - Operating revenue increased due to growth in all major reporting segments, with high-margin premium revenue growing by 5% and loyalty revenue by 8% [7] - Although total revenue per available seat mile (TRASM) slightly declined, decreased fuel costs and improved cost performance offset this, resulting in an operating margin of 12.6% [8] Market Sentiment and Guidance - The reaffirmed guidance is strong, expecting year-over-year growth and significantly improving market sentiment [9] - Following the Q2 release, Delta stock rose more than 10% in premarket trading, indicating bullish market action and aligning with analyst sentiment predicting a 20% upside [10]