Brighton Jones LLC Purchases 92,416 Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) by 2,046.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 96,932 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 92,416 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC’s holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $6,276,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in ALK. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 44.8% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 588 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Pacific Center for Financial Services purchased a new position in Alaska Air Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Alaska Air Group by 86.0% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,025 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 474 shares in the last quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 952.4% during the third quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 1,105 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $52,000. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Alaska Air Group Stock Up 2.0 %

ALK opened at $68.72 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $61.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $48.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.60. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $32.62 and a fifty-two week high of $71.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.71, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.54.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.52. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 12.81% and a net margin of 2.99%. On average, research analysts expect that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 4.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ALK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $81.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Melius Research upgraded shares of Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $56.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, October 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Barclays increased their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Alaska Air Group from $58.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.57.

Insider Activity at Alaska Air Group

In other news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 13,880 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.01, for a total transaction of $888,458.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 20,638 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,321,038.38. This represents a 40.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Emily Halverson sold 1,329 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was 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 directly owns 7,150 shares in the company, valued at approximately $460,531.50. This represents a 15.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 34,473 shares of company stock valued at $2,198,342. 0.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Alaska Air Group

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.