Guggenheim Capital LLC Trims Holdings in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Guggenheim Capital LLC trimmed its stake in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) by 76.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,760 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 12,127 shares during the period. Guggenheim Capital LLC’s holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $243,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its stake 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 period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $52,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Alaska Air Group by 61.6% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 955 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 364 shares during the period. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $76,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $59,000. 81.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

ALK stock opened at $43.01 on Tuesday. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $32.62 and a 1 year high of $78.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.61. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $53.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $58.04. The firm has a market cap of $5.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.10, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.37.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported ($0.77) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.72) by ($0.05). Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 14.66%. The company had revenue of $3.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.92) EPS. Alaska Air Group’s quarterly revenue was up 40.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 6,600 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.28, for a total value of $503,448.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 34,030 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,595,808.40. The trade was a 16.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 1,830 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.32, for a total value of $134,175.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 20,286 shares in the company, valued at $1,487,369.52. This represents a 8.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 53,480 shares of company stock valued at $4,035,973. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ALK has been the topic of several recent research reports. Susquehanna cut their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $95.00 to $55.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. UBS Group downgraded shares of Alaska Air Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $75.00 to $54.00 in a research report on Monday, April 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Barclays cut their price target on Alaska Air Group from $62.00 to $55.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on Alaska Air Group from $83.00 to $81.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $65.92.

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.