Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Shares Acquired by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) by 0.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 13,651,876 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 56,409 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 0.11% of Alaska Air Group worth $883,959,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ALK. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 44.8% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 588 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $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 in the third quarter valued at $45,000. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $52,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the 4th quarter worth $52,000. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 259.3% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,175 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 848 shares in the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ALK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Susquehanna upgraded Alaska Air Group from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and set a $95.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. TD Cowen increased their target price on Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $77.00.

Alaska Air Group Stock Down 4.5 %

NYSE:ALK opened at $50.16 on Friday. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average of $66.07 and a 200-day moving average of $57.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.15 billion, a PE ratio of 16.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.50. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $32.62 and a 52 week high of $78.08.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.52. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 14.66% and a net margin of 3.37%. Analysts predict that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Alaska Air Group news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 91,745 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.14, for a total value of $6,526,739.30. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 20,638 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,468,187.32. This trade represents a 81.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 22,893 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 31,873 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,414,061.02. This represents a 41.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 154,725 shares of company stock valued at $11,217,263 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Alaska Air Group 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.