SBI Securities Co. Ltd. Invests $52,000 in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 797 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $52,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 2.7% in the third quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 9,271 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $419,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Alaska Air Group by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,770 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $397,000 after purchasing an additional 309 shares during the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 10,180 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $460,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. Jag Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Jag Capital Management LLC now owns 73,270 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,313,000 after purchasing an additional 1,574 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 474 shares during the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alaska Air Group Stock Down 8.7 %

Shares of ALK opened at $55.38 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $69.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $56.07. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $32.62 and a 12-month high of $78.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The firm has a market cap of $6.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.50.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ALK. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley increased 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. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $63.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Alaska Air Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $77.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 6,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.28, for a total value of $503,448.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 34,030 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,595,808.40. The trade was a 16.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 22,893 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 31,873 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,414,061.02. The trade was a 41.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 189,198 shares of company stock worth $13,415,604 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

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.