Image Source: Unsplash

United Airlines Holdings Inc (Nasdaq: UAL) is trending up in extended hours on Tuesday after reporting better-than-expected financial results for its first quarter as the “demand environment remained strong”.

United Airlines stock pops on upbeat guidance

Shares of the air carrier are in the green in after-hours also because its management issued upbeat guidance for the future. UAL now forecasts its per-share earnings to fall between $3.75 and $4.25 in Q2.

Analysts, in comparison, were at $3.73 a share. Scott Kirby – the chief executive of United Airlines said in a press release today:

We’ve adjusted our fleet plan to better reflect the reality of what the manufacturers are able to deliver.

The Nasdaq-listed airline improved capacity by 9.1% and achieved the second-best on-time departure performance in its first financial quarter. United Airlines stock is now up more than 15% versus its year-to-date low.

United Airlines Q1 earnings snapshot

• Lost $124 million versus the year-ago $194 million
• Per-share loss also narrowed from 59 cents to 38 cents
• Adjusted loss printed at 15 cents as per the earnings report
• Revenue jumped 10% year-over-year to $12.53 billion
• Consensus was 58 cents a share on $12.45 billion revenue

United Airlines blamed ongoing issues at Boeing for its loss in the first quarter. CEO Kirby added on Tuesday:

We’ll use those planes to capitalise on opportunity only United has: profitably grow our mid-continent hubs and expand our highly profitable international network from our best in industry coastal hubs.

Wall Street currently has a consensus “overweight” rating on UAL. Peer Delta Air Lines also touted solid travel demand as it reported its Q1 financial results last week.

The global airline industry is facing a summer squeeze, with travel demand expected to hit record levels, while aircraft deliveries drop sharply due to production problems at Boeing and Airbus https://t.co/roKQp8EqT7 pic.twitter.com/1cxuoHASlK

— Reuters (@Reuters) April 9, 2024

More By This Author:

Reddit Stock Is Down 35% From Its High: Buy The Dip Or Sell The Rip?
Tesla Layoff: 15,000 Workers To Be Affected
Is Coupang Stock Worth Buying After WOW Membership Price Hike?