Q3 EPS Forecast for Alaska Air Group Increased by Analyst

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) – Analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q3 2026 EPS estimates for Alaska Air Group in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, August 11th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the transportation company will post earnings of $0.91 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $0.40. Zacks Research currently has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Alaska Air Group’s current full-year earnings is ($1.02) per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Alaska Air Group’s Q4 2026 earnings at $0.15 EPS, FY2026 earnings at ($1.54) EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.52 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.94 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.80 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $6.20 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $2.60 EPS and Q2 2028 earnings at $2.17 EPS.

ALK has been the topic of several other research reports. Bank of America raised their target price on Alaska Air Group from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $69.00 price objective (up from $58.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $62.00 price objective (up from $56.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $59.00 target price (up from $51.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $62.50 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $65.65.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

NYSE:ALK opened at $47.42 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $48.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $45.78. Alaska Air Group has a 12 month low of $33.03 and a 12 month high of $65.88. The firm has a market cap of $5.28 billion, a P/E ratio of -30.20 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The transportation company reported ($0.92) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.99) by $0.07. Alaska Air Group had a negative net margin of 1.19% and a negative return on equity of 3.11%. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.09 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.42 EPS. Alaska Air Group’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Alaska Air Group has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.000-1.000 EPS.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. First Command Advisory Services Inc. raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 485 shares during the period. Compound Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group in the second quarter valued at about $39,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC lifted its position in Alaska Air Group by 963.3% in the second quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 840 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 761 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 30.4% during the fourth quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 910 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 212 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Alaska Air Group

In related news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 5,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.67, for a total value of $263,251.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 25,528 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,267,975.76. This represents a 17.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Alaska Air Group News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised its Q3 2026 EPS forecast to $0.91 from $0.40 and shifted its Q4 2026 forecast to a profit of $0.15 per share from a loss of $0.38. Its FY2026 loss estimate also improved to $1.54 per share from $2.54, signaling better near-term operating expectations.
• Positive Sentiment: Longer-term estimates were increased for Q2 2027, to $1.93 EPS from $1.71, and for FY2028, to $9.99 EPS from $9.75. Q1 and Q2 2028 forecasts were also raised substantially, to $2.60 and $2.17 per share, respectively, suggesting stronger earnings potential beyond the current year.
• Neutral Sentiment: The revisions are not uniformly positive. Zacks reduced its Q1 2027 forecast to $0.52 EPS from $0.74 and Q3 2027 to $1.94 from $2.34. The FY2027 estimate edged down to $6.20 from $6.31, indicating some uncertainty about the pace of the recovery.
• Neutral Sentiment: Alaska Air Group’s current-year consensus remains a loss of approximately $1.02 per share, while Zacks projects a $1.54 loss for FY2026. Investors may therefore view the improved quarterly forecasts as an early recovery signal rather than evidence of an immediate return to sustained profitability.

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.