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Key Takeaways
- United Airlines stock was up nearly 7% ahead of Tuesday’s opening bell after the airline surpassed analysts’ top- and bottom-line expectations.
- The airline cautioned that the grounding of 79 of its 737 Max 9 jets will weigh on first-quarter earnings.
- The United Airlines share price may run into resistance around $44.50 near a horizontal trendline that dates back to March last year.
United Airlines Holdings, Inc.
Source: TradingView.com.
Shares in United Airlines (UAL) jumped nearly 7% in premarket action Tuesday morning after the full-service carrier surpassed Wall Street’s top and bottom line expectations. The Chicago-based airline posted Q4 adjusted earnings of $2.00 per share, comfortably ahead of the $1.69 a share figure analysts had projected. Revenue for the period came in at $13.63 billion, topping forecasts of $13.54 billion. Moreover the top line improved nearly 10% from a year earlier, boosted by healthy travel demand over the holiday season. “Despite unpredictable headwinds, we delivered on our ambitious EPS target that few thought possible — and set new operational records for our customers,” CEO Scott Kirby said in a statement accompanying the earnings release.
United cautioned that it expects to report an adjusted loss of between 35 and 85 cents a share in the first quarter due to the grounding of 79 737 Max 9 planes in its fleet after the same jet, operated by Alaska Airlines, had an exit panel detach in mid-flight earlier this month. The forecast assumes the airline won’t fly the Max 9 for the remainder of January. For full-year 2024, United forecast adjusted earnings to come in between $9 and $11 a share, in line with analysts’ estimates.
UAL shares rallied toward the 200-day moving average in early January but stalled late last week to close below the 50-day moving average (MA). If the price climbs back above the 50 MA today, keep an eye on the $44.50 level, where it may find run into selling pressure near a horizontal line that dates back to mid-March last year. On the downside, monitor the 2023 low around $34 as a potential area of support if the stock declines over the coming weeks.
United shares were up 6.7% at $41.01 about 40 minutes before Tuesday’s opening bell. The stock has lost 22% over the past year.
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