Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) CEO Sells $149,683.50 in Stock

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) CEO Joseph A. Sprague sold 2,325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.38, for a total value of $149,683.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 19,340 shares in the company, valued at $1,245,109.20. This trade represents a 10.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

Shares of ALK opened at $66.02 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $52.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $43.79. The stock has a market cap of $8.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.62, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.57. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a one year low of $32.62 and a one year high of $66.81.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The transportation company reported $2.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.22 by $0.03. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 12.81%. The firm had revenue of $3.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3 billion. The company’s revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.83 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 4.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $63.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Barclays upped their target price on Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Alaska Air Group from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Melius Research raised Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $56.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, October 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $65.86.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ALK. FMR LLC boosted its position in Alaska Air Group by 32.4% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,084,639 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $49,037,000 after purchasing an additional 265,343 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 54.7% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 57,577 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,591,000 after purchasing an additional 20,347 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates grew its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 13.5% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 283,581 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $11,457,000 after buying an additional 33,717 shares in the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP increased its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 358.9% in the third quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 27,428 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,240,000 after buying an additional 21,451 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP raised its position in Alaska Air Group by 156.3% during the third quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 83,777 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,788,000 after acquiring an additional 51,096 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

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.