Fact based stock research
United Continental (NasdaqGS:UAL)
US9100471096
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For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".
Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".
Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.
Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.
(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).
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United Continental stock research in summary
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 71 (better than 71% compared with investment alternatives), United Continental (Airlines, USA) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of United Continental are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 77 (better than 77% of alternatives), show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 64) but are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 18), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 71, is a buy recommendation based on United Continental's financial characteristics. As the company United Continental's key financial metrics exhibit excellent performance in two areas, such as good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 77) and above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 64), it could be argued that the risk-taking in financing (Obermatt Safety Rank of only 18) indicates that the company is optimistic about the future and sees debt as an opportunity to boost returns. More debt means more shareholder returns if everything goes well. However, higher debt burdens are risky when interest rates rise or the business deteriorates in a crisis. If you believe the company's future is market-typical or even better, this could be an argument for a share purchase. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more
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Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.
Research History: United Continental
| RESEARCH HISTORY | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 24 |
|
31 |
|
78 |
|
77 |
|
| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 27 |
|
96 |
|
87 |
|
64 |
|
| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 2 |
|
48 |
|
8 |
|
18 |
|
| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | n/a |
|
39 |
|
72 |
|
new |
|
| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | n/a |
|
68 |
|
83 |
|
new |
|
Combined financial peformance in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 71 (better than 71% compared with investment alternatives), United Continental (Airlines, USA) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of United Continental are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 77 (better than 77% of alternatives), show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 64) but are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 18), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 71, is a buy recommendation based on United Continental's financial characteristics. As the company United Continental's key financial metrics exhibit excellent performance in two areas, such as good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 77) and above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 64), it could be argued that the risk-taking in financing (Obermatt Safety Rank of only 18) indicates that the company is optimistic about the future and sees debt as an opportunity to boost returns. More debt means more shareholder returns if everything goes well. However, higher debt burdens are risky when interest rates rise or the business deteriorates in a crisis. If you believe the company's future is market-typical or even better, this could be an argument for a share purchase. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more
| RESEARCH HISTORY | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 24 |
|
31 |
|
78 |
|
77 |
|
| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 27 |
|
96 |
|
87 |
|
64 |
|
| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 2 |
|
48 |
|
8 |
|
18 |
|
| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 10 |
|
70 |
|
64 |
|
71 |
|
Value Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 77 (better than 77% compared with alternatives) for 2024, United Continental shares are significantly less expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators above average for United Continental. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 80, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 80% of comparable companies, indicating a good value regarding United Continental's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price to Profits (or Price / Earnings, P/E), more favorable than for 97% of alternatives, and it's also true for the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Capital Rank of 63. But, compared with other companies in the same industry, dividend yields are expected to be lower than average; only 1% of all competitors have even lower dividend yields than United Continental (a Dividend Yield Rank of 1). 99% alternative investments in the same business provide a higher dividend yield. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 77, is a buy recommendation based on United Continental's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. The below-average dividend yield may be a good sign, as it could mean the company has more attractive investment opportunities for the generated cash than to pay it out as dividends. A low dividend yield can also indicate a growth phase. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision. ...read more
| VALUE METRICS | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S) | 95 |
|
85 |
|
87 |
|
80 |
|
| PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E) | 5 |
|
5 |
|
100 |
|
97 |
|
| PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book) | 33 |
|
41 |
|
61 |
|
63 |
|
| DIVIDEND YIELD | ||||||||
| DIVIDEND YIELD | 1 |
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE | 24 |
|
31 |
|
78 |
|
77 |
|
Growth Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 64 (better than 64% compared with alternatives), United Continental shows an above-average growth dynamic in its industry. Investors also speak of positive momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for United Continental. Capital Growth has a rank of 76, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its invested capital more than 46% of its competitors. Investors welcomed this, visible in the Stock Returns rank of 72 (above 72% of alternative investments). But Sales Growth has only a rank of 37, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 63% of its competitors, and Profit Growth is also low at a rank of 46. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 64, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. This is an ambiguous picture. Revenue growth and capital growth are strong, but the growth in profit, which seems good, can also be an indication that growth momentum may be negative. The fact that stock returns have been above average doesn't help much, as stock returns are less reliable in showing a company’s future growth potential. Prices may perform well for the simple reason that investors were too pessimistic in the past and are now correcting their opinions and moving the stock price to a more reasonable level. As the growth picture is mixed for United Continental, investors may want to look at value and sentiment indicators for a well-rounded picture of this stock. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case, especially since the growth performance is mixed here. ...read more
| GROWTH METRICS | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REVENUE GROWTH | ||||||||
| REVENUE GROWTH | 15 |
|
96 |
|
45 |
|
37 |
|
| PROFIT GROWTH | ||||||||
| PROFIT GROWTH | 7 |
|
40 |
|
98 |
|
46 |
|
| CAPITAL GROWTH | ||||||||
| CAPITAL GROWTH | n/a |
|
90 |
|
79 |
|
76 |
|
| STOCK RETURNS | ||||||||
| STOCK RETURNS | 73 |
|
51 |
|
55 |
|
72 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | 27 |
|
96 |
|
87 |
|
64 |
|
Safety Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 18 (better than 18% compared with alternatives), the company United Continental has much riskier financing practices than comparable other companies, which means that their overall debt burden is significantly above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of United Continental is also risky, it only means that the company is on the riskier side in respect to bankruptcy in case things turn sour, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with just one indicator above average for United Continental. Liquidity is at 51, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 51% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is riskier at a rank of 17, which means that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 83% of its competitors. Leverage is also high at a rank of 10, which means that the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 90% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 18 (worse than 82% compared with alternatives), United Continental has a financing structure that is significantly riskier than that of its competitors. High Leverage (a low Obermatt Leverage Rank) is good in good times, because it usually indicates that shareholders get higher returns. The good Liquidity performance of the company is an indicator that this is the case. However, if you expect an economic downturn, you may stay clear of this stock because they have an above-average debt level that needs refinancing soon. If the company is sailing with good winds, as may be visible from the Growth and Sentiment performance, the refinancing risk may be lower than the low Refinancing rank suggests. ...read more
| SAFETY METRICS | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 10 |
|
10 |
|
8 |
|
10 |
|
| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 1 |
|
100 |
|
17 |
|
17 |
|
| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 5 |
|
21 |
|
28 |
|
51 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 2 |
|
48 |
|
8 |
|
18 |
|
Sentiment Metrics in Detail
| SENTIMENT | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANALYST OPINIONS | ||||||||
| ANALYST OPINIONS | n/a |
|
31 |
|
67 |
|
new |
|
| OPINIONS CHANGE | ||||||||
| OPINIONS CHANGE | n/a |
|
47 |
|
53 |
|
new |
|
| PRO HOLDINGS | ||||||||
| PRO HOLDINGS | n/a |
|
58 |
|
82 |
|
new |
|
| MARKET PULSE | ||||||||
| MARKET PULSE | n/a |
|
40 |
|
36 |
|
new |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT | n/a |
|
39 |
|
72 |
|
new |
|
Free stock analysis by the purely fact based Obermatt Method for United Continental from May 2, 2024.
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