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United Airlines (UAL) Outpaces Stock Market Gains: What You Should Know

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United Airlines (UAL - Free Report) closed at $107.77 in the latest trading session, marking a +1.11% move from the prior day. This change outpaced the S&P 500's 0.21% gain on the day. Elsewhere, the Dow saw an upswing of 0.25%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq appreciated by 0.45%.

Prior to today's trading, shares of the airline had gained 19.38% outpaced the Transportation sector's gain of 2.21% and the S&P 500's gain of 3.07%.

The upcoming earnings release of United Airlines will be of great interest to investors. The company's upcoming EPS is projected at $2.65, signifying a 20.42% drop compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $15.26 billion, up 2.8% from the year-ago period.

Looking at the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $10.27 per share and revenue of $58.83 billion. These totals would mark changes of -3.2% and +3.1%, respectively, from last year.

Investors should also pay attention to any latest changes in analyst estimates for United Airlines. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the business and profitability.

Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near-term share price momentum. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, stretching from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has a noteworthy track record of outperforming, validated by third-party audits, with stocks rated #1 producing an average annual return of +25% since the year 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has witnessed an unchanged state. United Airlines is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

With respect to valuation, United Airlines is currently being traded at a Forward P/E ratio of 10.38. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 10.81, so one might conclude that United Airlines is trading at a discount comparatively.

Meanwhile, UAL's PEG ratio is currently 1.38. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. By the end of yesterday's trading, the Transportation - Airline industry had an average PEG ratio of 0.81.

The Transportation - Airline industry is part of the Transportation sector. With its current Zacks Industry Rank of 49, this industry ranks in the top 20% of all industries, numbering over 250.

The Zacks Industry Rank evaluates the power of our distinct industry groups by determining the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks forming the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Remember to apply Zacks.com to follow these and more stock-moving metrics during the upcoming trading sessions.


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