The shares recently took out a key technical level
Airline stock United Continental (NYSE:UAL) has been climbing the charts for months, sporting a roughly 26% year-to-date return. Just last week the shares roared past the site of their 2017 peak to hit a fresh all-time high, meaning it could be a good time to go long on the outperformer as it consolidates atop this former milestone that could now be a level of support.
Making UAL's push up the charts even more impressive is that it's done it against rising short interest levels, including a 16% increase in the last two reporting periods. These bears, holding onto losing positions, may soon begin to cover, which would provide tailwinds for the equity.
Analyst upgrades are another potential upside catalyst, since half the firms in coverage on the security say it's just a "hold." Watch for bullish notes to come through and carry the airline concern to higher highs.
Meanwhile, volatility expectations appear reasonable at the moment, at least going by the security's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 23% -- in the low 5th percentile of its annual range.
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