Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the fourteen brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $65.86.

ALK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Alaska Air Group from $60.00 to $55.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Melius raised Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $56.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective 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. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

Alaska Air Group stock opened at $66.02 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $52.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $43.79. The stock has a market capitalization 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 quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.60. Alaska Air Group has a 52-week low of $32.62 and a 52-week high of $66.81.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $3.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.83 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Alaska Air Group will post 4.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Alaska Air Group

In other news, 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 directly owns 12,162 shares in the company, valued at $767,300.58. The trade was a 24.75 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 13,880 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.01, for a total transaction of $888,458.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 20,638 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,321,038.38. The trade was a 40.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 34,473 shares of company stock worth $2,198,342 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new stake in Alaska Air Group in the second quarter worth $28,000. Pacific Center for Financial Services bought a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 3rd quarter worth $45,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 86.0% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,025 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 474 shares during the last quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. raised its stake in Alaska Air Group by 952.4% in the 3rd quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 1,105 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the third quarter valued at about $52,000. 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.