Victory Capital Management Inc. Increases Position in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) by 313.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 117,050 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 88,734 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned 0.09% of Alaska Air Group worth $7,579,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,061,596 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $93,229,000 after buying an additional 78,186 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,593,756 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $72,054,000 after purchasing an additional 6,977 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,432,052 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $92,725,000 after purchasing an additional 9,805 shares during the period. Hennessy Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the 4th quarter worth $82,459,000. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 32.4% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,084,639 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $49,037,000 after purchasing an additional 265,343 shares during the period. 81.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Alaska Air Group

In related news, VP Emily Halverson sold 1,329 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.41, for a total value of $85,600.89. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 7,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $460,531.50. The trade was a 15.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.89, for a total transaction of $51,112.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 20,286 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,296,072.54. This trade represents a 3.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 162,618 shares of company stock worth $11,722,035. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on ALK shares. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Susquehanna upgraded shares of 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, Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $77.00.

Alaska Air Group Stock Up 2.3 %

ALK stock opened at $53.82 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $32.62 and a 1 year high of $78.08. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $68.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $56.28. The firm has a market cap of $6.62 billion, a PE ratio of 17.65, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.50.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.52. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 14.66%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.