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

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) has been assigned an average rating of “Buy” from the thirteen ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $77.00.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on ALK shares. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $87.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Susquehanna raised 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 report on Tuesday, January 7th. TD Cowen increased their price target on Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd.

Alaska Air Group Trading Up 2.7 %

ALK opened at $54.28 on Tuesday. Alaska Air Group has a one year low of $32.62 and a one year high of $78.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.61 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $67.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $57.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.80, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.50.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.52. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 14.66% and a net margin of 3.37%. Analysts predict that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Joseph A. Sprague sold 9,500 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.90, for a total transaction of $654,550.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 9,840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $677,976. This trade represents a 49.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 91,745 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.14, for a total transaction of $6,526,739.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,638 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,468,187.32. The trade was a 81.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 154,725 shares of company stock valued at $11,217,263 over the last quarter. 0.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Alaska Air Group by 44.8% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 588 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $52,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Alaska Air Group by 61.6% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 955 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 364 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pacific Center for Financial Services purchased a new stake in Alaska Air Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $45,000. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.