Vanguard Group Inc. Has $545.20 Million Stake in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Vanguard Group Inc. decreased its holdings in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) by 3.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 13,954,489 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 506,806 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 11.07% of Alaska Air Group worth $545,202,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 14.2% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,868 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $106,000 after purchasing an additional 357 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 28.4% in the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,688 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $66,000 after buying an additional 373 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 6,209 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $243,000 after buying an additional 397 shares in the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 215.8% in the 4th quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 761 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 520 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 180 Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 9.4% in the 4th quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,035 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $231,000 after buying an additional 520 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

Alaska Air Group stock opened at $41.82 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $42.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $39.84. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $30.75 and a 52-week high of $57.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.36, a P/E/G ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.61.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 18th. The transportation company reported ($0.92) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.09) by $0.17. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 13.54% and a net margin of 2.34%. The firm had revenue of $2.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.18 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.62) earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ALK has been the subject of several recent research reports. Bank of America boosted their price target on Alaska Air Group from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. StockNews.com raised Alaska Air Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Alaska Air Group in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $54.00 price objective for the company. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their target price on Alaska Air Group from $49.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $56.60.

Alaska Air Group Profile

Alaska Air Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates airlines. It operates through three segments: Mainline, Regional, and Horizon. The company offers scheduled air transportation services on Boeing jet aircraft for passengers and cargo in the United States, and in parts of Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Belize, Guatemala, and the Bahamas; and for passengers across a shorter distance network within the United States, Canada, and Mexico.