American Airlines raised its guidance for the second quarter early Wednesday due to strong demand and lower-than-expected fuel costs for the period. AAL shares rose slightly in early trading. united airlines (UAL), delta airlines (DAL) and southwest airlines (LUV) caught the updraft and surged in pre-market trading action.
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american airlines (AAL) updated its forecast, indicating that total revenue per available seat mile was down between 1% and 3% compared to the second quarter of 2022. The company previously predicted a 2% to 4% decline in revenue per available seat mile.
American Airlines expects the average fuel price per gallon to be between $2.55 and $2.65 for the second quarter, down from the previous estimate of $2.65 to $2.75. Those cheaper fuel prices should help margins. The Fort Worth, Texas-based airline raised its adjusted operating margin outlook to a range of 12.5% to 14.5% from previous guidance of 11% to 13%.
American Airlines maintained its forecast for available seat miles for the quarter, forecasting a 3.5% to 5.5% increase in cargo capacity over last year.
American Airlines now expects second-quarter earnings to soar as much as 117% year-over-year and raised its adjusted earnings guidance to a range of $1.45 to $1.65 per share. He previously predicted EPS of $1.20-$1.40. The new outlook is well above FactSet’s forecast of $1.29 per share.
American Airlines maintained its full-year earnings forecast of $2.50 to $3.50 per share, compared with FactSet estimates of $2.71.
AAL shares
AAL shares were up 0.9% early Wednesday. The shares rose 2.7% to 15.02 in premarket trading on Wednesday following the guidance update, after rebounding from the 200-day line on Tuesday.
A trendline entry could form today for AAL shares, with near-term resistance at 15.08. If American Airlines shares can move a bit further, a consolidation dating back to January with a buy point of 17.74 should form.
American’s global peers, United Airlines and Delta Air, inched lower in early shares. Shares of UAL and DAL advanced 2% and 1.5%, respectively, in premarket trading.
UAL shares are in a consolidation with a buy point of 55.14. Investors could use a move above the May 23 high of 49.05 as an early entry.
Delta shares are working on a buy point of 40.40 since their own consolidation.
This trio of airline stocks continues to try to gain height, but has stalled every time they hit or come close to the gates. Shares of AAL, Delta and United tumbled in March after bullish moves to start 2023.
US-focused Southwest Airlines rose 1%. LUV shares have been trending lower for the past two years, trading below their 50-day and 200-day rolling lines.
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