Key points
- For the three months to 31 December 2021, revenue rose to £805, up from £165m year on year
- In the same period, easyJet carried 11.9m passengers, an improvement from 2.9m a year previously
- The price of jet fuel may increase because of the Ukraine conflict
A big player in the short-haul airline sector, easyJet (LSE: EZJ) has been hit bard during the Covid-19 pandemic. Like many of its peers, the company’s operations more or less ground to a halt for long periods of time. Recent results suggest the market is improving, however, and some countries have already removed all pandemic-related restrictions. With a spare £500, should I buy at the current easyJet share price? Let’s take a closer look.
Recent results and the easyJet share price
In a trading update for the three months to 31 December 2021, the company reported that revenue rose from £165m to £805m. In addition, pre-tax losses almost halved to just £213m. For me, this suggests that the firm is on a solid path to recovery.
Another metric by which to gauge the health of an airline stock is its passenger numbers. For the same period, the business carried 11.9m passengers. This is equivalent to 64% of the same period in 2019, before the pandemic struck. It is also an increase from 2.9m, year on year.
This prompted S&P Global Ratings to upgrade the company to ‘stable’. It stated that is expects “much improved” results for the airline in the near future. Following this announcement, easyJet shares were trading at 643.8p. At the time of writing, the share price is 578.6p, down 27% over the past year.
A mixed outlook
The conflict in Ukraine resulted in big increases to oil and gas prices. This is because there is greater fear of decreasing supply. This could negatively impact the easyJet share price, because the cost of jet fuel will likely rise in the months ahead. While the firm may have hedged some of its jet fuel at lower prices, the company will probably have to pay more in the future.
It is also worth noting that any future pandemic variant could result in more closed borders and less international travel. While I think this is a remote possibility, it is something I am weighing into my investment decision.
Despite this, some countries are reopening their borders. While many still have vaccination and testing requirements, like Spain, others have removed all restrictions. An example is Norway, which has essentially returned to pre-pandemic conditions. Sweden has followed suit, but only for EU citizens for the moment. I predict that more countries will adopt this attitude, resulting in a domino effect.
I think the outlook for the easyJet share price is bright. While there are risks, including jet fuel costs and other variants, I think results show the company is moving in the right direction. I will be buying shares today with my spare £500.
