United Continental Holdings, Inc. (UAL - Free Report) just released its fourth-quarter 2017 financial results, posting adjusted earnings of $1.40 per share and revenues of $9.44 billion. Currently, United is a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), and is up over 2% to $79.58 per share in after-hours trading shortly after its earnings report was released.

UAL:

Beat earnings estimates. The company posted adjusted earnings of $1.40 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.34 per share.

Beat revenue estimates. The company saw revenue figures of $9.44 billion, just topping our consensus estimate of $9.43 billion.

United reported fourth-quarter net income of $408 million and full-year net income of $2.1 billion. The airline giant’s Q4 sales jumped by 4.3% year-over-year, while full-year revenues climbed 3.2% from $36.56 billion to $37.74 billion.

United’s Q4 consolidated passenger revenue per available seat mile (PRASM) rose just 0.2%, while cargo sales surged by 21.6% to $304 million.

"I am incredibly proud of how our employees delivered in 2017, achieving our best-ever operational performance. Reliability is an important pillar in our continued focus on further improving the customer experience," CEO Oscar Munoz said in a statement.

"Looking ahead, we are committed to improving profitability over the long-term by building on the strong foundation we have laid over the past two years. Everyone at United is excited to enter 2018 with a clear set of priorities and a renewed sense of purpose around unlocking the full potential of United Airlines."

Here’s a graph that looks at UAL’s Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise history:

United Continental Holdings, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

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United Continental Holdings, Inc. is the holding company for United Airlines and Continental Airlines. The Company operates its businesses through two reporting segments: Mainline and Regional Affiliates. The Company manages its business as an integrated network with assets deployed across its Mainline and regional carrier networks.