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United Airlines (UAL) Laps the Stock Market: Here's Why

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In the latest trading session, United Airlines (UAL - Free Report) closed at $118.32, marking a +2.15% move from the previous day. The stock's performance was ahead of the S&P 500's daily gain of 1.09%. Elsewhere, the Dow saw an upswing of 0.14%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq appreciated by 1.91%.

Coming into today, shares of the airline had gained 18.17% in the past month. In that same time, the Transportation sector gained 3.66%, while the S&P 500 gained 0.29%.

The upcoming earnings release of United Airlines will be of great interest to investors. The company is forecasted to report an EPS of $1.9, showcasing a 50.9% downward movement from the corresponding quarter of the prior year. In the meantime, our current consensus estimate forecasts the revenue to be $17.58 billion, indicating a 15.41% growth compared to the corresponding quarter of the prior year.

For the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $9.63 per share and a revenue of $66.59 billion, representing changes of -9.32% and +12.72%, respectively, from the prior 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 a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the business outlook.

Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. 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, running from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), holds an admirable track record of superior performance, independently audited, with #1 stocks contributing an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 2.08% higher. United Airlines presently features a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Looking at valuation, United Airlines is presently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 12.03. This expresses a discount compared to the average Forward P/E of 12.19 of its industry.

Investors should also note that UAL has a PEG ratio of 0.96 right now. Comparable to the widely accepted P/E ratio, the PEG ratio also accounts for the company's projected earnings growth. As of the close of trade yesterday, the Transportation - Airline industry held an average PEG ratio of 0.96.

The Transportation - Airline industry is part of the Transportation sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 201, which puts it in the bottom 18% of all 250+ industries.

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.

Make sure to utilize Zacks.com to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and more, in the coming trading sessions.

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