BUZZ-American Airlines rises as brokerages upgrade to 'buy', hike price targets

Updates

** Shares of American Airlines AAL.O rise 4.4% to $17.69, in morning trading

** TD Cowen and Jefferies raise their ratings on the stock to "buy" from "hold"

** TD Cowen increases PT to $25 from $17, Jefferies to $20 from $12

** TD Cowen expects AAL to benefit from improved pricing and higher business traffic

** "We expect long-haul international flying to remain robust in 2025" - TD Cowen

** TD Cowen expects AAL's 2025 EPS to be $2.96 and expects it to reach $3.60 by 2026

** Ten of 23 brokerages rate stock "buy" or "higher", 12 "hold" and one "sell"; with a median PT of $19, according to data compiled by LSEG

** AAL gained ~27% in 2024, as the US airline's stocks soared in that year on strong travel demand

(Reporting by Rupali Chaudhary in Bengaluru)

((Rupali.Chaudhary@thomsonreuters.com))