American Airlines Shares Slide, Analysts Cut Targets

American Airlines shares fell about 6% on Oct. 14 amid concerns about travel demand, rising costs and the carrier’s thin margins. The airline has warned that high fuel prices could add roughly $1 billion to fourth-quarter expenses and may prompt capacity cuts, a significant pressure given its modest recent quarterly profit and heavy debt burden. American has also exited routes to Doha, Santa Maria and Tijuana, though the changes reflect differing route economics and network reshuffling rather than necessarily a broad pullback; investors are watching for more detail in its Oct. 22 quarterly results. Separately, ETFs were net sellers of American shares on Friday, led by a large reduction from FTXR, but had been net buyers on four of the previous five reported trading days.