How to buy United Airlines shares

United Airlines Holdings, Inc is an airlines business with stocks listed in the US. United Airlines shares (UAL) are listed on the NASDAQ and all prices are listed in US Dollars. Its last market close was US$51.78 – a decrease of -INF% over the previous week. Here's how to invest if you're based in Australia.

How to buy shares in United Airlines

1. Compare share trading platforms. To buy shares in a US company from Australia you'll need to find a trading platform that offers access to US stock markets. If you're just starting out, look for a platform with low brokerage and foreign exchange fees.
2. Open and fund your brokerage account. Complete an application with your personal and financial details, like your ID and tax file number. Fund your account with a bank transfer, credit card or debit card.
3. Search for United Airlines. Find the share by name or ticker symbol: UAL. Research its history to confirm it's a solid investment against your financial goals.
4. Purchase now or later. Buy today with a market order or use a limit order to delay your purchase until United Airlines reaches your desired price. To spread out your risk, look into dollar-cost averaging, which smooths out buying at consistent intervals and amounts.
5. Decide on how many to buy. At last close price of US$51.78, weigh your budget against a diversified portfolio that can minimise risk through the market's ups and downs. You may be able to buy a fractional share of United Airlines, depending on your broker.
6. Check in on your investment. Congratulations, you own a part of United Airlines. Optimise your portfolio by tracking how your stock — and even the business — performs with an eye on the long term. You may be eligible for dividends and shareholder voting rights on directors and management that can affect your stock.

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United Airlines share price

Use our graph to track the performance of UAL stocks over time.

United Airlines shares at a glance

• Key figures

Information last updated 2021-02-23.

52-week range	US$17.8 - US$71.91
50-day moving average	US$43.4494
200-day moving average	US$39.8751
Target price	US$49.32
PE ratio	9.5014
Dividend yield	N/A (0%)
Earnings per share (TTM)	US$3.971

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The value of your investments can fall as well as rise and you may get back less than you invested. Past performance is no indication of future results.

Is it a good time to buy United Airlines stock?

The technical analysis gauge below displays real-time ratings for the timeframes you select. This is not a recommendation, however. It represents a technical analysis based on the most popular technical indicators: Moving Averages, Oscillators and Pivots. Finder might not concur and takes no responsibility.

Technical Analysis of United Airlines Holdings, Inc by TradingView

United Airlines price performance over time

Historical closes compared with the close of $51.78 on 2021-02-25

1 week (2021-02-17)	N/A
1 month (2021-01-24)	N/A
3 months (2020-11-24)	N/A
6 months (2020-08-24)	N/A

1 year (2020-02-24)	N/A
2 years (2019-02-24)	N/A
3 years (2018-02-24)	N/A
5 years (2016-02-24)	N/A

Is United Airlines under- or over-valued?

Valuing United Airlines stock is incredibly difficult, and any metric has to be viewed as part of a bigger picture of United Airlines's overall performance. However, analysts commonly use some key metrics to help gauge the value of a stock.

United Airlines's P/E ratio

United Airlines's current share price divided by its per-share earnings (EPS) over a 12-month period gives a "trailing price/earnings ratio" of roughly 10x. In other words, United Airlines shares trade at around 10x recent earnings.

That's relatively low compared to, say, the trailing 12-month P/E ratio for the NASDAQ 100 at the end of 2019 (27.29). The low P/E ratio could mean that investors are pessimistic about the outlook for the shares or simply that they're under-valued.

United Airlines's PEG ratio

United Airlines's "price/earnings-to-growth ratio" can be calculated by dividing its P/E ratio by its growth – to give 1.0584. A low ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer better value, while a higher ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer worse value.

The PEG ratio provides a broader view than just the P/E ratio, as it gives more insight into United Airlines's future profitability. By accounting for growth, it could also help you if you're comparing the share prices of multiple high-growth companies.

United Airlines's EBITDA

United Airlines's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) is US$860 million (£0.0 million).

The EBITDA is a measure of a United Airlines's overall financial performance and is widely used to measure a its profitability.

United Airlines financials

Revenue TTM	US$15.4 billion
Gross profit TTM	US$-2,542,000,000
Return on assets TTM	-10%
Return on equity TTM	-80.83%
Profit margin	-46.04%
Book value	19.112
Market capitalisation	US$15.7 billion

TTM: trailing 12 months

Shorting United Airlines shares

There are currently 16.4 million United Airlines shares held short by investors – that's known as United Airlines's "short interest". This figure is 21.2% up from 13.5 million last month.

There are a few different ways that this level of interest in shorting United Airlines shares can be evaluated.

United Airlines's "short interest ratio" (SIR)

United Airlines's "short interest ratio" (SIR) is the quantity of United Airlines shares currently shorted divided by the average quantity of United Airlines shares traded daily (recently around 14.1 million). United Airlines's SIR currently stands at 1.16. In other words for every 100,000 United Airlines shares traded daily on the market, roughly 1160 shares are currently held short.

However United Airlines's short interest can also be evaluated against the total number of United Airlines shares, or, against the total number of tradable United Airlines shares (the shares that aren't held by "insiders" or major long-term shareholders – also known as the "float"). In this case United Airlines's short interest could be expressed as 0.05% of the outstanding shares (for every 100,000 United Airlines shares in existence, roughly 50 shares are currently held short) or 0.0598% of the tradable shares (for every 100,000 tradable United Airlines shares, roughly 60 shares are currently held short).

Such a low SIR usually points to an optimistic outlook for the share price, with fewer people currently willing to bet against United Airlines.

Find out more about how you can short United Airlines stock.

United Airlines's environmental, social and governance track record

Environmental, social and governance (known as ESG) criteria are a set of three factors used to measure the sustainability and social impact of companies like United Airlines.

When it comes to ESG scores, lower is better, and lower scores are generally associated with lower risk for would-be investors.

United Airlines's total ESG risk score

Total ESG risk: 34.87

Socially conscious investors use ESG scores to screen how an investment aligns with their worldview, and United Airlines's overall score of 34.87 (as at 01/01/2019) is pretty weak – landing it in it in the 67th percentile of companies rated in the same sector.

ESG scores are increasingly used to estimate the level of risk a company like United Airlines is exposed to within the areas of "environmental" (carbon footprint, resource use etc.), "social" (health and safety, human rights etc.), and "governance" (anti-corruption, tax transparency etc.).

United Airlines's environmental score

Environmental score: 17.91/100

United Airlines's environmental score of 17.91 puts it squarely in the 7th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that United Airlines is a leader in its sector terms of its environmental impact, and exposed to a lower level of risk.

United Airlines's social score

Social score: 20.13/100

United Airlines's social score of 20.13 puts it squarely in the 7th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that United Airlines is a leader in its sector when it comes to taking good care of its workforce and the communities it impacts.

United Airlines's governance score

Governance score: 10.83/100

United Airlines's governance score puts it squarely in the 7th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. That could suggest that United Airlines is a leader in its sector when it comes to responsible management and strategy, and exposed to a lower level of risk.

United Airlines's controversy score

Controversy score: 2/5

ESG scores also evaluate any incidences of controversy that a company has been involved in. United Airlines scored a 2 out of 5 for controversy – the second-highest score possible, reflecting that United Airlines has, for the most part, managed to keep its nose clean.

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) summary

United Airlines Holdings, Inc was last rated for ESG on: 2019-01-01.

Total ESG score	34.87
Total ESG percentile	67
Environmental score	17.91
Environmental score percentile	7
Social score	20.13
Social score percentile	7
Governance score	10.83
Governance score percentile	7
Level of controversy	2

United Airlines share dividends

We're not expecting United Airlines to pay a dividend over the next 12 months.

Have United Airlines's shares ever split?

United Airlines's shares were split on a 4:1 basis on 21 May 1996. So if you had owned 1 share the day before before the split, the next day you'd have owned 4 shares. This wouldn't directly have changed the overall worth of your United Airlines shares – just the quantity. However, indirectly, the new 75% lower share price could have impacted the market appetite for United Airlines shares which in turn could have impacted United Airlines's share price.

United Airlines share price volatility

Over the last 12 months, United Airlines's shares have ranged in value from as little as US$17.8 up to US$71.91. A popular way to gauge a stock's volatility is its "beta".

Beta is a measure of a share's volatility in relation to the market. The market (NASDAQ average) beta is 1, while United Airlines's is 1.6254. This would suggest that United Airlines's shares are more volatile than the average for this exchange and represent, relatively-speaking, a higher risk (but potentially also market-beating returns).

United Airlines overview

United Airlines Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides air transportation services in North America, Asia, Europe, Africa, the Pacific, the Middle East, and Latin America. It transports people and cargo through its mainline and regional fleets. As of February 28, 2020, the company operated approximately 791 mainline aircraft. It also sells fuel; and offers catering, ground handling, and maintenance services for third parties. The company was formerly known as United Continental Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to United Airlines Holdings, Inc. in June 2019. United Airlines Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1934 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

Frequently asked questions

• What percentage of United Airlines is owned by insiders or institutions?

  Currently 0.228% of United Airlines shares are held by insiders and 62.117% by institutions.

• When does the fiscal year end for United Airlines?

  United Airlines's fiscal year ends in December.

• Where is United Airlines based?

  United Airlines's address is: 233 South Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL, United States, 60606

• What is United Airlines's ISIN number?

  United Airlines's international securities identification number is: US9100471096

• What is United Airlines's CUSIP number?

  United Airlines's Committee on Uniform Securities Identification Procedures number is: 902549104