Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. Boosts Position in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) by 416.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 30,499 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 24,592 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $1,501,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ALK. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 2,046.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 96,932 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $6,276,000 after purchasing an additional 92,416 shares in the last quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 19,229 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,245,000 after buying an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 21,772 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,410,000 after buying an additional 612 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 97.9% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,623 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $105,000 after buying an additional 803 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 77.8% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 5,221 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $338,000 after buying an additional 2,284 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Alaska Air Group Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of Alaska Air Group stock opened at $51.01 on Friday. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $32.62 and a 1 year high of $78.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $49.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is $57.45. The company has a market cap of $6.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.55, a PEG ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.41.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last released its quarterly 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). The business had revenue of $3.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.19 billion. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 2.86% and a return on equity of 15.01%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 40.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.92) earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Alaska Air Group

In other news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.51, for a total transaction of $401,325.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 26,530 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,419,620.30. The trade was a 22.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Emily Halverson sold 2,946 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.34, for a total value of $151,247.64. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 8,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $423,709.02. The trade was a 26.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 10,479 shares of company stock valued at $554,228. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on ALK. UBS Group lowered shares of Alaska Air Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $75.00 to $54.00 in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Susquehanna lowered their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $95.00 to $55.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $80.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $83.00 to $81.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $54.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.83.

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.