Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eleven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $66.83.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America decreased their price target on Alaska Air Group from $80.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $83.00 to $81.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $62.00 to $55.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Susquehanna cut 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 report on Monday, April 7th.

Insider Activity at Alaska Air Group

In related news, VP Emily Halverson sold 2,946 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.34, for a total value of $151,247.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 8,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $423,709.02. This trade represents a 26.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 7,500 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.51, for a total value of $401,325.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,530 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,419,620.30. This represents a 22.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 10,479 shares of company stock worth $554,228 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $5,314,000. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the 1st quarter valued at $1,318,000. SCS Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the 1st quarter valued at $269,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in Alaska Air Group by 81.7% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 340,258 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $16,747,000 after buying an additional 152,953 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 60.2% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,423 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $316,000 after acquiring an additional 2,414 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

Shares of ALK opened at $47.40 on Friday. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $32.62 and a fifty-two week high of $78.08. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $48.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $58.28. The company has a market capitalization of $5.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.44.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported ($0.77) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($0.92) earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 40.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 earnings per share 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.