American Airlines Group Target of Unusually High Options Trading (AAL)

American Airlines Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAL) saw some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock investors acquired 19,571 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 177% compared to the typical daily volume of 7,077 call options.

AAL has been the topic of several research reports. ValuEngine upgraded shares of American Airlines Group from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 2nd. Bank of America Corporation upped their price target on shares of American Airlines Group from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Friday, June 30th. Deutsche Bank AG decreased their price target on shares of American Airlines Group from $55.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 28th. Barclays PLC restated a “hold” rating and issued a $58.00 price target on shares of American Airlines Group in a research note on Friday, April 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $50.00 price target (up from $49.00) on shares of American Airlines Group in a research note on Monday, July 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. The company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $50.10.

Shares of American Airlines Group (NASDAQ AAL) opened at 50.49 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.11 and a beta of 0.97. American Airlines Group has a 52 week low of $33.00 and a 52 week high of $54.48. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $50.77 and its 200-day moving average is $46.70.

American Airlines Group (NASDAQ:AAL) last posted its earnings results on Friday, July 28th. The airline reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $11.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.08 billion. American Airlines Group had a return on equity of 81.88% and a net margin of 5.47%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.77 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that American Airlines Group will post $5.21 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.79%. American Airlines Group’s payout ratio is presently 9.76%.

In other American Airlines Group news, Director James F. Albaugh purchased 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 4th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $43.85 per share, for a total transaction of $131,550.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 14,737 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $646,217.45. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Maya Leibman sold 23,857 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.24, for a total transaction of $1,127,004.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 182,178 shares in the company, valued at $8,606,088.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 161,480 shares of company stock worth $7,999,471 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.64% of the company’s stock.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AAL. Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its position in shares of American Airlines Group by 9.2% in the first quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 323,344 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $13,677,000 after buying an additional 27,340 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio raised its position in shares of American Airlines Group by 23.0% in the first quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 454,865 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $19,240,000 after buying an additional 85,000 shares during the last quarter. Beach Investment Counsel Inc. PA raised its position in shares of American Airlines Group by 122.8% in the first quarter. Beach Investment Counsel Inc. PA now owns 174,197 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $7,369,000 after buying an additional 96,007 shares during the last quarter. Wealthfront Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Airlines Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $572,000. Finally, Great Lakes Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of American Airlines Group by 519.7% in the first quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 55,422 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $2,344,000 after buying an additional 46,478 shares during the last quarter. 81.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

COPYRIGHT VIOLATION WARNING: This report was originally reported by [[site]] and is the sole property of of [[site]]. If you are viewing this report on another publication, it was illegally copied and reposted in violation of United States & international trademark & copyright laws. The legal version of this report can be viewed at [[permalink]].

American Airlines Group Company Profile

American Airlines Group Inc is a holding company. The Company’s primary business activity is the operation of a network air carrier, providing scheduled air transportation for passengers and cargo. The Company operates through American segment, which provides air transportation for passengers and cargo.