American Airlines Group Shares Rise After Analyst Upgrade

Shares of American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ:AAL) saw a notable increase just before the market opened on Monday, following an upgrade from Bank of America. The financial institution raised its price target for the stock from $9.00 to $10.00. American Airlines' stock previously closed at $13.15 but opened higher at $13.66. As the trading day progressed, shares last listed at a price of $13.63, with a volume of approximately 10,249,939 shares traded.

Recent Ratings and Upgrades

In addition to Bank of America's recent upgrade, AAL has been featured in several other analysts' reports. On September 3rd, Redburn Atlantic upgraded the stock to a "hold" rating. Following that, on October 3rd, Evercore ISI increased their target price from $10.00 to $12.00, maintaining an "in-line" rating. More recently, on October 9th, Susquehanna also adjusted their target price upwards from $11.00 to $12.00 while issuing a "neutral" rating. Previous analyses saw Evercore lowering its target from $13.00 to $10.00 on July 26th, and Barclays also reducing their target from $14.00 to $10.00 along with an "underweight" rating in July. Currently, market assessments show two analysts with a sell rating, eight recommending a hold, and six suggesting a buy for American Airlines Group. As per MarketBeat.com, the average rating stands at "Hold" with a target price of $13.40.

Institutional Investment Activity

A number of institutional investors have made recent changes to their holdings of American Airlines Group. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC increased their stake by 51.3% in the first quarter, currently owning 2,345 shares worth about $36,000 after acquiring an additional 795 shares. Empirical Finance LLC also boosted its position by 1.4%, now holding 58,573 shares valued at $899,000 following the purchase of 797 shares. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake by 56.2% in the third quarter, owning 2,533 shares valued at $29,000 after acquiring 911 additional shares. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC increased their holdings by 4.4%, with 23,375 shares valued at $359,000 after acquiring an additional 978 shares. CWM LLC also reported a 5.2% increase in their holdings, now owning 21,540 shares worth approximately $244,000 after acquiring 1,059 more shares. Overall, institutional investors control about 52.44% of the company's stock.

Company Financial Overview

American Airlines Group's stock has a 50-day moving average price of $11.28 and a 200-day moving average price of $11.76. The company focuses on scheduled air transportation services and boasts a market capitalization of $8.94 billion. It has a P/E ratio of 21.92, a PEG ratio of 0.26, and a beta of 1.43.

Performance and Future Expectations

American Airlines Group announced its quarterly earnings report on October 24th, reporting earnings per share of $0.30, which exceeded the consensus estimate of $0.16 by $0.14. Although the company recorded a negative net margin of 0.23% and a negative return on equity of 19.49%, it achieved revenues of $13.65 billion, surpassing analysts' expectations of $13.50 billion for the quarter. Year-over-year, revenue increased by 1.2%, despite a previous EPS of $0.38 during the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that American Airlines Group will report an EPS of 1.22 for the current fiscal year.

About American Airlines Group Inc.

American Airlines Group Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as a network air carrier. The company provides scheduled air transportation services for both passengers and cargo, using its hubs in major cities such as Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Washington, DC. It also has partnerships with international gateways across cities like London, Doha, Madrid, Seattle/Tacoma, Sydney, and Tokyo.

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