financetom
Personal Finance
financetom
/
Personal Finance
/
American Airlines Stock Dives on Guidance Cut, CCO Exit
News World Market Environment Technology Personal Finance Politics Retail Business Economy Cryptocurrency Forex Stocks Market Commodities
American Airlines Stock Dives on Guidance Cut, CCO Exit
May 29, 2024 10:24 AM

American Airlines ( AAL ) stock is down around 14% Wednesday after the air carrier cut its outlook for the second quarter and announced the departure of its chief commercial officer.

According to an 8-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, American Airlines ( AAL ) now expects total revenue per available seat mile to decline 5% to 6% in Q2, compared with its previous outlook for a drop of 1% to 3%. The company anticipates earnings per share (EPS) for the three-month period to be in the range of $1 to $1.15, compared with its prior forecast for EPS of $1.15 to $1.45.

American Airlines ( AAL ) also announced that Vasu Raja, its executive vice president and chief commercial officer, would be leaving the company in June. 

Raja devised a plan to drive direct bookings at American Airlines ( AAL ) rather than through third-party websites and travel agencies. Raja's changes to the company's distribution strategy cut the airline's sales department and made it harder for some agencies to sell tickets on American's flights, according to CNBC. American Airlines ( AAL ) CEO Robert Isom said the airline is weighing changes to that plan.

"We've got to put some more carrots in place and make sure that our product is available wherever customers want to buy it," Isom said at the Bernstein Strategic Decisions conference on Wednesday, as reported by CNBC.

Stephen Johnson, American Airlines' ( AAL ) vice chair and chief strategy officer, will assume the responsibilities of the chief commercial officer position while the company searches for a replacement.

American Airlines' ( AAL ) woes are not an industry-wide issue

The issues at American Airlines ( AAL ) don't seem to be industry wide. Indeed, following the outlook cut by AAL, United Airlines (UAL) reiterated its outlook for the second quarter, which calls for EPS in the range of $3.75 to $4.25.

Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines ( DAL ) , one of Kiplinger's best stocks to buy this year, expects record Q2 revenue and earnings per share to arrive between $2.20 and $2.50.

Is American Airlines ( AAL ) stock a buy, sell or hold?

Analysts are generally bullish on the industrial stock. According to S&P Global Market Intelligence, the consensus analyst target price for AAL is $16.65, representing implied upside of roughly 45% from current levels. Additionally, the consensus recommendation is Buy. 

However, these estimates may change in the days and weeks ahead following the reduced outlook.

One of those reducing their rating on AAL stock is Jefferies analyst Sheila Kahyaoglu, who downgraded the stock to Hold from Buy and lowered her price target to $12 from $17 in a note to clients.

"Guidance held on as long as it could, but it's clear AAL's long-term strategy will take some time to execute, particularly in light of its 18% Q2 EPS cut and chief commercial officer departure," Kahyaoglu said.

In a separate note, Kahyaoglu upgraded UAL to Buy from Hold, saying shares are undervalued at current levels.

Comments
Welcome to financetom comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Related Articles >
Research Alert: CFRA Lowers Opinion On Shares Of Stellantis N.v. To Hold From Buy
Research Alert: CFRA Lowers Opinion On Shares Of Stellantis N.v. To Hold From Buy
Mar 22, 2024
08:30 AM EDT, 03/22/2024 (MT Newswires) -- CFRA, an independent research provider, has provided MT Newswires with the following research alert. Analysts at CFRA have summarized their opinion as follows: We increase our 12-month target by $2 to $30, based on a '25 P/E of 4.7x, a justified premium to its historical average forward P/E of 4.3x. Our estimates are...
Research Alert: CFRA Maintains Buy Opinion On Shares Of Apple Inc.
Research Alert: CFRA Maintains Buy Opinion On Shares Of Apple Inc.
Mar 22, 2024
08:20 AM EDT, 03/22/2024 (MT Newswires) -- CFRA, an independent research provider, has provided MT Newswires with the following research alert. Analysts at CFRA have summarized their opinion as follows: The U.S. is suing AAPL, accusing it of monopolizing the smartphone market by citing that AAPL makes it difficult for competitors to integrate with the iPhone, thus raising prices and...
Research Alert: CFRA Lowers Opinion On Shares Of Stellantis N.v. To Hold From Buy
Research Alert: CFRA Lowers Opinion On Shares Of Stellantis N.v. To Hold From Buy
Mar 22, 2024
08:25 AM EDT, 03/22/2024 (MT Newswires) -- CFRA, an independent research provider, has provided MT Newswires with the following research alert. Analysts at CFRA have summarized their opinion as follows: We increase our 12-month target by $2 to $30, based on a '25 P/E of 4.7x, a justified premium to its historical average forward P/E of 4.3x. Our estimates are...
Research Alert: CFRA Raises Opinion On Shares Of Lululemon Athletica To Strong Buy From Buy
Research Alert: CFRA Raises Opinion On Shares Of Lululemon Athletica To Strong Buy From Buy
Mar 22, 2024
08:15 AM EDT, 03/22/2024 (MT Newswires) -- CFRA, an independent research provider, has provided MT Newswires with the following research alert. Analysts at CFRA have summarized their opinion as follows: We maintain our 12-month price target of $550, based on 37.9x our FY 25 (Jan.) EPS estimate and below the company's 5-year average forward P/E multiple of 42.7x. We maintain...
Copyright 2023-2024 - www.financetom.com All Rights Reserved