3. United Continental Holdings Inc (NYSE:UAL)
Investors with Long Positions (as of June 30): 72
Aggregate Value of Investors’ Holdings (as of June 30): $3.21 Billion
United Continental Holdings Inc (NYSE:UAL) is another transportation company facing a tough business environment, with its shares declining by 20.77% year-to-date. Hedge fund ownership was down by six in comparison to the first quarter, while aggregate holdings declined by 18% during the same period. However, the decline in aggregate holdings could be completely attributed to the falling share price in this case, as the shares of United Continental Holdings Inc (NYSE:UAL) fell by 21.17% during the second quarter. United Airlines announced its July 2015 operational performance on August 10, reporting growth of 2.8% in revenue passenger miles (RPM) and 2.4% growth in available seat miles year-over-year. GMT Capital, led by Thomas E. Claugus, was the top shareholder of United Continental Holdings Inc (NYSE:UAL) in our database, having a position worth $358.99 million from 6.77 million shares. Daniel S. Och’s OZ Management was another major shareholder of the company, holding 6.70 million shares in its portfolio.
2. American Airlines Group Inc (NASDAQ:AAL)
Investors with Long Positions (as of June 30): 85
Aggregate Value of Investors’ Holdings (as of June 30): $2.55 Billion
American Airlines Group Inc (NASDAQ:AAL) comes in at number two in the list of top transportation stock holdings of hedge funds in our database. Despite retaining the number two spot, the airline has suffered in 2015 much like its peers. Its shares are down by 29.58% year-to-date and were down by 24.34% during the second quarter. The decline in share value during the quarter ending on June 30 contributed to an overall drop of 37.42% in aggregate holdings against the previous quarter. American Airlines Group Inc (NASDAQ:AAL) reported mixed second quarter financial results on July 24, with earnings per share of $2.62, excluding special net charges, over revenues of $10.8 billion. Its EPS was better than the market’s estimate of $2.59, whereas its revenue came in marginally shorter than the $10.9 billion estimated figure. York Capital Management, led by James Dinan, held a large position in American Airlines Group Inc (NASDAQ:AAL) on June 30 of 8.13 million shares valued at $324.58 million.
1. Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL)
Investors with Long Positions (as of June 30): 114
Aggregate Value of Investors’ Holdings (as of June 30): $6.99 Billion
Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) topped the list of the most popular transportation stocks among hedge funds. It ranked number six in Insider Monkey’s most popular stocks list for the second quarter, with 114 hedge funds having ownership of the stock on June 30. That was down by two against the previous quarter, with a 2% decline in aggregate hedge fund holdings. The shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) dropped by 8.63% during the second quarter, indicating that the hedge funds made additional purchases in the specified period. The airliner recently announced buying a 3.55% stake in China Eastern Airlines, helping it improve its exposure to the Asian markets. Lansdowne Partners was the largest shareholder of Delta Air Lines, with 26.55 million shares, followed by Iridian Asset Management holding 13.07 million shares of the airline.
Disclosure: None
