United Airline Holdings, Inc. (UAL): Among Billionaire David Harding's Stock Picks with Huge Upside Potential
We recently published a list of . In this article, we are going to take a look at where United Airline Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) stands against other billionaire David Harding's stock picks with huge upside potential.
David Harding is a British hedge fund manager and physicist by training, studied natural sciences at St. Catharine's College, University of Cambridge, with a focus on theoretical physics. His education in empirical science would go on to inform his pioneering approach to financial markets. Harding began his career in finance in the mid-1980s, working at Sabre Fund Management. At Sabre, he was instrumental in developing early systematic trading models that used statistical analysis to identify patterns in market behavior. This experience laid the foundation for his future endeavors in quantitative finance.
In 1997, he established (now Winton Group), with the goal of applying scientific research and data-driven techniques to financial markets. Under Harding's leadership, Winton grew rapidly, at one point managing over $28 billion in assets. The firm became one of the most prominent names in the quantitative hedge fund space, known for its commitment to rigorous data analysis and skepticism toward discretionary trading. Winton's strategies typically involve global futures and equities, relying on vast historical datasets and algorithmic models rather than human intuition.
In recent years, Harding's firm has experienced a resurgence. After a significant downturn, Winton rebounded with a 47% return in 2022, marking its best performance since the financial crisis. As of the end of last year, the firm's assets under management had risen to $12.3 billion, reflecting a strong recovery. Winton remains committed to its systematic, research-driven approach. The firm's ability to adapt to changing market conditions and its focus on long-term trends suggest potential for sustained performance in the future.
At the LSEG Lipper Fund Awards 2024, Winton Capital Management was honored with the 'Best Fund over 3 Years' award in the Managed Futures category. This accolade recognizes the firm's outstanding risk-adjusted performance over a three-year period. The Awards are based on the Lipper Leader rating for Consistent Return, which evaluates funds using a risk-adjusted performance measure over multiple non-overlapping periods. This methodology ensures that the winners have provided superior consistency and risk-adjusted returns compared to similar funds. This recognition underscores Winton's commitment to delivering high-quality, systematic investment strategies that prioritize consistent performance for investors.
For this list, we picked stocks from Winston Group's 13F portfolio as of the end of the fourth quarter of 2024. We listed them in the ascending order of analysts' average upside potential. These equities are also popular among other hedge funds.
Note: All data was recorded on April 29, 2025.
At Insider Monkey we are obsessed with the stocks that hedge funds pile into. The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter's strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
A bird's eye view of a large commercial jetliner taking off from an airport runway.Upside Potential: 36.01%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 86
United Airline Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) is a holding company, with its subsidiary United Airlines, Inc. United operates the most extensive route network among North American carriers, with major U.S. hubs in cities like Chicago, Denver, and Los Angeles. United's domestic hubs are in major business and population centers, driving significant 'origin and destination' traffic. The hub-and-spoke system enables frequent service across many destinations and allows efficient expansion to new locations. United is a member of Star Alliance, the world's largest airline network.
United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) saw solid Q1 2025 performance amidst a challenging macroeconomic environment. Q1 revenue increased 5.4% year-over-year to a record $13.2 billion, though demand weakened towards the end of January, particularly during off-peak hours. CEO Scott Kirby attributed the company's resilience to its success in winning brand-loyal customers, noting that United is now a leader in brand loyalty in six of its seven hubs. Despite economic softness, United expects to earn $7-$9 per share in 2025.
The company is enhancing its customer experience by expanding airport clubs and installing Starlink Wi-Fi across its fleet. Kirby emphasized that even in a recessionary environment, United's loyal customer base positions it well. The company's ongoing investments in technology and operational excellence, including the rollout of Starlink, reflect its commitment to improving service and maintaining competitive advantage.
Overall, UAL ranks 7th on our list of billionaire David Harding's stock picks with huge upside potential. While we acknowledge the growth potential of UAL, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold great promise for delivering high returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than UAL but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at .
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