48,784 Shares in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Acquired by AGF Management Ltd.

AGF Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 48,784 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,159,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in ALK. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 44.8% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 588 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the period. Pacific Center for Financial Services purchased a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $45,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 86.0% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,025 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 474 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $52,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $52,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 800 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.89, for a total transaction of $51,112.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 20,286 shares in the company, valued at $1,296,072.54. This trade represents a 3.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Muehlen Constance E. Von sold 4,000 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.09, for a total transaction of $252,360.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 12,162 shares in the company, valued at $767,300.58. This represents a 24.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 166,618 shares of company stock worth $11,974,395 in the last ninety days. 0.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ALK opened at $53.33 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $69.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $56.18. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $32.62 and a 12 month high of $78.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.61 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.48, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.50.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last announced 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 net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 14.66%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on ALK shares. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Susquehanna upgraded shares of Alaska Air Group from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and set a $95.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $63.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Alaska Air Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $77.00.

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.