United Air shares close higher on Monday, new hires now required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccine

United Airlines Holdings Inc (UAL) said last week that it would begin to require new employees to provide proof that they have been vaccinated against the novel coronavirus.

Under the new rule, all external job candidates with offers made after June 15th will have to provide confirmation they have been fully vaccinated by their start date.

The announcement comes after a similar move by rival Delta Air Lines Inc.

All new employees “will be required to upload their COVID vaccine card in My Info no later than 7 days post hire date,” United Airlines said.

The air carrier also said that it would take into consideration any religious or medical circumstances of candidates who cannot be inoculated.

“As we welcome new employees to the company, it’s important we instill in them United’s strong commitment to safety,” the company said in a memo to employees, cited by CNBC.

United Air shares closed higher for the seventh time in the past ten trading sessions on NASDAQ on Monday. The stock went up 0.65% ($0.37) to $57.30, after touching an intraday low at $57.03 and an intraday high at $57.92.

Shares of United Airlines Holdings Inc have risen 32.49% so far in 2021 compared with a 12.53% gain for the benchmark index, S&P 500 (SPX).

In 2020, United Air’s stock went down 50.90%, thus, it underperformed the S&P 500, which registered a 16.26% gain.

Analyst stock price forecast and recommendation

According to TipRanks, at least 6 out of 12 surveyed investment analysts had rated United Airlines Holdings Inc’s stock as “Hold”, while 5 – as “Buy”. The median price target on the stock stands at $61.64.