The Goldman Sachs Group Has Lowered Expectations for Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) Stock Price

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) had its target price dropped by stock analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from $68.00 to $61.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the transportation company’s stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s price target points to a potential upside of 59.81% from the company’s previous close.

ALK has been the subject of several other research reports. Zacks Research raised Alaska Air Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $63.00 price target on Alaska Air Group in a report on Friday, January 30th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on Alaska Air Group from $63.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $71.00 price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $70.00 price objective (up from $60.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Monday, January 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $63.67.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

Alaska Air Group stock traded up $1.39 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $38.17. 2,564,831 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,175,747. Alaska Air Group has a 52 week low of $33.03 and a 52 week high of $65.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.50. The firm has a market cap of $4.38 billion, a PE ratio of 43.97, a PEG ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 1.17. The company’s fifty day moving average is $48.02 and its 200-day moving average is $47.90.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.32. The firm had revenue of $3.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.64 billion. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 0.70% and a return on equity of 7.22%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.97 EPS. 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. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Alaska Air Group

In other news, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 24,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.15, for a total transaction of $1,371,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 43,377 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,478,995.55. This represents a 35.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed 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 shares were sold at an average price of $54.81, for a total value of $794,745.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,195 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,106,887.95. This represents a 41.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 56,945 shares of company stock valued at $3,204,569 over the last 90 days. 0.92% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Alaska Air Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ALK. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Alaska Air Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. First Command Advisory Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 242.5% in the 4th quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 685 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 485 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 43.2% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 838 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

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.