HighTower Advisors LLC Purchases 2,186 Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) by 20.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 12,773 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 2,186 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $827,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 265,343 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in Alaska Air Group by 54.7% during the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 57,577 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,591,000 after acquiring an additional 20,347 shares in the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial bought a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the fourth quarter worth about $772,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 633,514 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $28,312,000 after purchasing an additional 24,796 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 45.1% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,422,247 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $64,300,000 after purchasing an additional 442,331 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Alaska Air Group Stock Down 2.3 %

ALK stock opened at $52.58 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $66.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $57.35. The company has a market cap of $6.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.61. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $32.62 and a fifty-two week high of $78.08.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, research analysts expect that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. 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 note on Tuesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. 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 research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $83.00 to $81.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $77.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Joseph A. Sprague sold 9,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.90, for a total transaction of $654,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 9,840 shares in the company, valued at approximately $677,976. This trade represents a 49.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 1,830 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.32, for a total transaction of $134,175.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 20,286 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,487,369.52. The trade was a 8.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 154,725 shares of company stock worth $11,217,263. 0.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.