Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Hold

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Friday.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on ALK. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Susquehanna lifted their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Friday. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. They issued a buy rating and a $54.00 target price on the stock. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $49.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Friday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $57.85.

Alaska Air Group Stock Up 1.2 %

ALK stock opened at $45.53 on Friday. Alaska Air Group has a twelve month low of $30.75 and a twelve month high of $57.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The company has a market cap of $5.73 billion, a PE ratio of 24.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.63. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $39.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $37.31.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 18th. The transportation company reported ($0.92) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.09) by $0.17. The company had revenue of $2.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.18 billion. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 13.54% and a net margin of 2.34%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.62) EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 6,500 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.36, for a total value of $249,340.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 26,048 shares in the company, valued at $999,201.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ALK. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 215.8% in the fourth quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 761 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 520 shares in the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 255.5% in the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 775 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 557 shares in the last quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. raised its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 456.1% in the third quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 912 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 748 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group during the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 63.4% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,297 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 503 shares during the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Alaska Air Group

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.