Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) Earns Outperform Rating from Analysts at BMO Capital Markets

BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) in a report published on Tuesday morning, MarketBeat reports. The firm issued an outperform rating and a $50.00 target price on the transportation company’s stock.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on ALK. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, March 21st. Weiss Ratings upgraded Alaska Air Group from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $71.00 price target on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $52.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $60.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $64.82.

Alaska Air Group Stock Down 0.9%

ALK stock opened at $38.93 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $48.83 and its 200 day moving average is $48.68. The stock has a market cap of $4.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a current ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. Alaska Air Group has a 1-year low of $36.68 and a 1-year high of $65.88.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.32. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 0.70% and a return on equity of 7.22%. The business had revenue of $3.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.97 earnings per share. Alaska Air Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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 predict that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Alaska Air Group news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 5,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.63, for a total value of $311,465.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 30,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,745,789.64. The trade was a 15.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Kyle B. Levine sold 2,945 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 20,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,259,039.54. The trade was a 12.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 56,945 shares of company stock valued at $3,204,569 over the last three months. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Alaska Air Group by 2,046.4% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 96,932 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $6,276,000 after purchasing an additional 92,416 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake 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 buying an additional 2,414 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 81.7% in 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 during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the 1st quarter valued at $1,318,000. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH raised its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 32.9% during the 2nd quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 42,147 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,085,000 after buying an additional 10,443 shares during the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Alaska Air Group Company Profile

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.