Insider Selling: Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) CFO Sells $1,733,915.82 in Stock

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 22,893 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.74, for a total value of $1,733,915.82. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 31,873 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,414,061.02. This represents a 41.80 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

Alaska Air Group stock opened at $72.59 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $67.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $51.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.21 billion, a PE ratio of 23.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.55. 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, Inc. has a one year low of $32.62 and a one year high of $76.45.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.52. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 14.66% and a net margin of 3.37%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ALK. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 328.7% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,649,388 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $301,048,000 after purchasing an additional 3,564,749 shares in the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $82,459,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 2,087.8% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 762,889 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,490,000 after purchasing an additional 728,019 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,390,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 45.1% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,422,247 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $64,300,000 after purchasing an additional 442,331 shares in the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on ALK. Melius upgraded Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $56.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Melius Research upgraded Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $56.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Susquehanna upgraded Alaska Air Group from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and set a $95.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Alaska Air Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.86.

Alaska Air Group Company Profile

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.