JPMorgan analyst James Baker believes several Airlines will raise their Q1 guidance at his firm's Aviation, Transportation and Industrials Conference next week. He expects near-term consensus estimates to move higher for the airlines coming out of the presentations, particularly for United Continental (UAL). The analyst recommends increasing exposure to the sector ahead of the conference. He raised his estimates for United the most, taking his Q1 earnings per share forecast up to 32c from 3c. Other names in the space include American Airlines (AAL), Delta Air Lines (DAL), JetBlue (JBLU) and Southwest (LUV).

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Raymond James raised the firm's price target on United Airlines to $70 from $66 and keeps an Outperform rating on the shares. United's 1H24 earnings trend drives greater confidence in the $9-$11 2024 EPS, the analyst tells investors in a research note. The firm believes the $7-$9B annual capital expenditures guidance for 2025-2027 was ahead of expectations that had been declining in recent months and plans for 100 narrowbody aircraft on average annually is considerable in terms of operational execution and potential growth, and expects United to focus on maximizing profits, with greater clarify on earnings and free cash flow targets at an investor day event likely later this year.

JPMorgan upgraded JetBlue (JBLU) to Neutral from Underweight with a $7 price target. The company is increasingly well-positioned for a modest potential move to the upside based on improving market sentiment, and its upcoming Q2 guide coming next week may exceed consensus, the analyst tells investors in a research note. JetBlue is the second least-liked airline based on sell-side ratings, after Spirit (SAVE), with short interest on the stock also remaining "stubbornly high", the firm added.

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Says without approximately $200M impact Boeing (BA) 737 MAX 9 from grounding, United (UAL) would have reported a quarterly profit.

Seaport Research raised the firm's price target on United Airlines to $66 from $60 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares. The company reported Q1 results that "handily bettered consensus," the analyst tells investors. The firm notes no change has been made to its thesis made in January, but notes consensus for the year has to move higher.

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