American Airlines Group (AAL - Free Report) came into existence following the Dec 2013 merger of AMR (American Airlines' parent group) and US Airways. The Fort Worth, Texas based company serves customers with more than 6,700 daily flights in more than 50 nations across the globe.

American Airlines Group has a healthy track record with respect to earnings. The company has delivered positive earnings surprises in each of the last four quarters, with an average beat of 20.48%.

Zacks Rank: Currently, American Airlines Group has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), but that could change following the company’s earnings report which was just released.

We have highlighted some of the key stats from this just-revealed announcement below:

Earnings: American Airlines Group beat on earnings. Adjusted earnings per share came in at $1.48, easily beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 92 cents.

American Airlines Group, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise

American Airlines Group, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise | American Airlines Group, Inc. Quote

Revenue: Revenues of $9.79 billion were 1.7% above the year-ago figure. Quarterly revenues beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $9.77 billion.

Key Stats: Total operating expenses climbed 5.4% year-over-year to $9 billion primarily due to the increase in labor costs. Expenses pertaining to salaries and benefits surged 17.4%. During the quarter, the company returned $606 million billion to its shareholders through the payment of $52 million in dividends and buyback of shares worth $554 million. Furthermore, the carrier also declared a dividend of $0.10 per share. The dividend will be paid on Feb 27, 2017, to the shareholders on Feb 13. We are impressed by the company’s efforts to reward shareholders through stock repurchases and dividend payments. The carrier also approved a $2 billion buyback program. The Company expects total revenue per available seat mile (TRASM) for the first quarter of 2017 to be up in the band of 2.5% to 4.5%. American Airlines expects pre-tax margin excluding special items in the first quarter to be approximately 3 to 5%..

Stock Price: The earnings beat pleased investors. Consequently, shares of the company were up in pre-market trading at the time of writing.