Wayfinding Financial LLC Makes New $259,000 Investment in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new position in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 4,004 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $259,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 32.4% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,084,639 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $49,037,000 after acquiring an additional 265,343 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can grew its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 54.7% in the 3rd 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 during the period. Friedenthal Financial acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $772,000. Quantbot Technologies LP grew its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 156.3% in the 3rd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 83,777 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,788,000 after acquiring an additional 51,096 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings 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 worth $28,312,000 after acquiring an additional 24,796 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Susquehanna upgraded Alaska Air Group from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and set a $95.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Bank of America increased their target price on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $77.00.

Insider Activity at Alaska Air Group

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

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ALK opened at $52.80 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $6.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.31, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $32.62 and a 52 week high of $78.08. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $67.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $56.77.

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

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.