Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Raises Holdings in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) by 1.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 19,753 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 309 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $1,279,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the second quarter worth $28,000. Pacific Center for Financial Services acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the third quarter valued at $45,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Alaska Air Group by 86.0% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,025 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 474 shares in the last quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 952.4% in the 3rd quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 1,105 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in Alaska Air Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $52,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.56, for a total transaction of $317,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 27,362 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,739,128.72. The trade was a 15.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Emily Halverson sold 1,329 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.41, for a total transaction of $85,600.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 7,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $460,531.50. This trade represents a 15.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 34,473 shares of company stock worth $2,198,342. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Alaska Air Group Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of ALK stock opened at $66.66 on Thursday. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $32.62 and a fifty-two week high of $69.10. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $59.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $46.81. The stock has a market cap of $8.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The transportation company reported $2.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.22 by $0.03. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 12.81%. The firm had revenue of $3.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.83 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 4.3 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ALK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Melius Research upgraded shares of Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $56.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, October 28th. TD Cowen increased their price target on Alaska Air Group from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Melius upgraded Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $56.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, October 28th. Susquehanna upgraded Alaska Air Group from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and set a $95.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Alaska Air Group from $81.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $70.79.

Alaska Air Group Company 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.