Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Receives Average Recommendation of “Buy” from Brokerages

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) has received an average recommendation of “Buy” from the thirteen analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $76.69.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup lifted their price target on Alaska Air Group from $63.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Susquehanna upgraded Alaska Air Group from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and set a $95.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Alaska Air Group news, COO Muehlen Constance E. Von sold 4,000 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.09, for a total transaction of $252,360.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 12,162 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $767,300.58. The trade was a 24.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 34,030 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,595,808.40. This trade represents a 16.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 189,198 shares of company stock worth $13,415,604 over the last ninety days. 0.92% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $52,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 61.6% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 955 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 364 shares during the last quarter. Pacific Center for Financial Services bought a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 86.0% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,025 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 474 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

NYSE:ALK opened at $71.02 on Friday. 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 fifty day simple moving average of $69.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $54.34. Alaska Air Group has a 1 year low of $32.62 and a 1 year high of $78.08. The company has a market capitalization of $8.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.28, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.55.

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

Alaska Air Group Company 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.