10 Best Non-AI Stocks to Buy According to Billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller

8. United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL)

Druckenmiller’s Stake: $24,168,000

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) is a major airline that transports passengers and cargo across domestic and international routes.

United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (UAL) is up about 41% over the past year, but so far this year the stock has gone nowhere, as macro volatility, geopolitical conflicts, and profitability pressures linked to fuel costs have weighed on sentiment.

Despite this, Q1 2026 showed underlying strength, with adjusted EPS rising around 30% year over year. The improvement came even as jet fuel expenses increased sharply, with management pointing to a significant jump in fuel costs that added hundreds of millions of dollars in pressure on results. Still, demand trends held firm, and the core business remained resilient.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) expects to recover higher fuel costs through fare increases over the course of the year. Management guided to a 40% to 50% recovery in Q2, with the potential for recovery to move closer to full pass-through by later quarters, depending on pricing and demand conditions. That outlook is central to the near-term earnings trajectory, as profitability now depends heavily on how much of the fuel shock can be passed on to customers without weakening demand.

Premium revenue rose about 14% in Q1, while business revenue also increased roughly 14%, highlighting continued strength in higher-margin segments. That mix shift toward premium and corporate travel is helping offset cost pressures and supporting overall revenue growth in a more difficult cost environment.

The stock trades at roughly 9–10x forward earnings, which remains a discount to peers like Delta despite similar growth and improving margin dynamics.