UBS Group Cuts Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) Price Target to $53.00

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) had its target price lowered by UBS Group from $60.00 to $53.00 in a research note published on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the transportation company’s stock.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $62.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Zacks Research raised shares of Alaska Air Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $63.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 9th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Alaska Air Group from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $64.82.

Alaska Air Group Stock Up 1.9%

ALK stock opened at $39.21 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.50 billion, a PE ratio of 45.07, a P/E/G ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. Alaska Air Group has a twelve month low of $36.68 and a twelve month high of $65.88. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $49.05 and its 200-day moving average is $48.75.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.32. The business had revenue of $3.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.64 billion. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 7.22% and a net margin of 0.70%.Alaska Air Group’s revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.97 earnings per share. Alaska Air Group has set its Q1 2026 guidance at -1.500–0.500 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 3.500-6.500 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Kyle B. Levine sold 2,945 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.02, for a total transaction of $176,758.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,977 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,259,039.54. This represents a 12.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 14,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.81, for a total transaction of $794,745.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,106,887.95. This trade represents a 41.79% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 56,945 shares of company stock valued at $3,204,569. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of ALK. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Alaska Air Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC bought a new position in Alaska Air Group during the third quarter valued at $28,000. MAI Capital Management increased its position in Alaska Air Group by 80.5% in the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 628 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 280 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new stake in Alaska Air Group in the third quarter worth $34,000. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 242.5% in the fourth quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 685 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 485 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Alaska Air Group

Here are the key news stories impacting Alaska Air Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital initiated coverage with an “outperform”/strong-buy stance and a $50 price target (roughly +27.5% vs. recent levels), which likely triggered buy-side flows and positive sentiment. BMO Capital initiates coverage
• Positive Sentiment: BMO research and follow-up notes highlight long-term upside based on fleet/capacity positioning and cost initiatives, reinforcing the bullish case behind the upgrade. BMO Capital sees long-term upside
• Neutral Sentiment: Management held its Q1 guidance and emphasized demand remains strong; the company is exploring a Singapore fuel-purchase plan to reduce fuel costs—this stabilizes near-term outlook but is not a guarantee of margin improvement. Alaska Air holds Q1 guide; Singapore fuel plan
• Neutral Sentiment: A recent market recap noted Alaska outperformed the broader market in the latest session, reflecting the combined impact of the BMO call and company commentary. Zacks market note
• Negative Sentiment: UBS issued a pessimistic forecast for ALK’s stock, which could pressure sentiment if other sell-side firms echo concerns. UBS forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Investors bought a large volume of put options on ALK—an indicator of increased downside hedging/speculative bearish positioning that can amplify volatility. Put option activity
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest jumped ~32% in March to ~12.93M shares (~11.4% of float), signaling heavier bearish bets that could pressure the stock or fuel short-covering volatility. (Short-interest ratio ~2.4 days based on average volume.)

About Alaska Air Group

Alaska Air Group is a publicly traded holding company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, that operates two main airlines—Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air. Through these carriers, the company offers scheduled passenger and cargo services across a network spanning the United States, Canada and Mexico. Its core business activities include domestic and international air transportation, loyalty program management under the Mileage Plan brand, and ancillary revenue streams such as baggage fees, in-flight sales and code-share partnerships with other global airlines.

The roots of Alaska Air Group trace back to the foundation of its flagship carrier, Alaska Airlines, in 1932.