Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the fourteen ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $64.00.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $51.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 29th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $72.00 target price on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $70.00 target price on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Alaska Air Group from $58.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

Alaska Air Group stock opened at $62.57 on Friday. 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 has a 52-week low of $32.62 and a 52-week high of $65.62. The firm has a market cap of $7.94 billion, a PE ratio of 25.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.60. The company’s 50 day moving average is $50.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $43.01.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The transportation company reported $2.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.22 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $3.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3 billion. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 12.81% and a net margin of 2.99%. Alaska Air Group’s revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.83 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Alaska Air Group will post 4.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alaska Air Group

In related news, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.56, for a total value of $317,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 27,362 shares in the company, valued at $1,739,128.72. This trade represents a 15.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 3,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.50, for a total value of $234,950.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 21,086 shares in the company, valued at $1,338,961. The trade was a 14.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 26,580 shares of company stock valued at $1,693,569. 0.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ALK. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 2,087.8% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 762,889 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,490,000 after purchasing an additional 728,019 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group during the third quarter worth about $26,390,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 45.1% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,422,247 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $64,300,000 after buying an additional 442,331 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 5.8% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,504,583 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $262,789,000 after acquiring an additional 357,907 shares during the period. Finally, Mesirow Institutional Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $11,475,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

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.