1-Star Stocks Poised to Plunge: Continental Airlines?

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Based on the aggregated intelligence of 140,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) has received the dreaded one-star ranking.

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at Continental's business and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.

Continental facts

Headquarters (Founded)	Houston (1934)
Market Cap	$2.2 billion
Industry	Airlines
Trailing-12-Month Revenue	$13.7 billion
Management	Chairman/CEO Lawrence Kellner (since 2004) CFO Zane Rowe (since 2008)
Return on Capital (Average, Past 3 Years)	2.2%
3-Month Return	69%
Competitors	Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) AMR (NYSE: AMR)
CAPS Members Bearish on CAL Also Bearish on	UAL (Nasdaq: UAUA) Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL)
CAPS Members Bullish on CAL Also Bullish on	Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) Google (Nasdaq: GOOG)

Sources: Capital IQ (a division of Standard & Poor's) and Motley Fool CAPS.

On CAPS, 44% of the 627 members who have rated Continental believe the stock will underperform the S&P 500 going forward. These bears include CharlieBombay and DarthMaul09.

Less than two months ago, CharlieBombay touched on the turbulent winds working against Continental: "High oil prices. Reduced capacity utilization. Low fares this summer. Lower traffic this coming winter."

In a pitch from two weeks ago, DarthMaul09 warned that the stock was flying at dangerously high altitudes:

An almost straight climb higher over the last three months seems a bit unusual for a company which has struggled along with its peers to maintain a profit. The stock market rally since March may have floated all the boats higher, but if the current correction lasts for more than a few weeks, will the potential passengers delay or cancel travel plans? Will this be a repeat of Fall/Winter 2008? There appears to be more downside risk than upside potential to warrant investing in the airlines at this time.

What do you think about Continental, or any other stock for that matter? Make your voice heard on Motley Fool CAPS today. The CAPS community is waiting to hear your opinions. CAPS is 100% free, so get started!