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

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the ten analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $57.44.

A number of research firms have commented on ALK. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $41.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $44.00 to $51.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Melius lowered shares of Alaska Air Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 8th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, Susquehanna lowered shares of Alaska Air Group from a “positive” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $39.00 to $40.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 10th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 26,048 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $999,201.28. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. McIlrath & Eck LLC boosted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 12.2% in the 4th quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 2,149 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $92,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in Alaska Air Group by 19.9% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,811 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $105,000 after buying an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. CVA Family Office LLC lifted its position in Alaska Air Group by 17.1% during the 1st quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 2,230 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $96,000 after buying an additional 325 shares in the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Alaska Air Group by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 7,663 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $284,000 after buying an additional 327 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its position in Alaska Air Group by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 6,906 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $270,000 after buying an additional 333 shares in the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

ALK stock opened at $40.98 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.61 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $39.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $37.05. Alaska Air Group has a fifty-two week low of $30.75 and a fifty-two week high of $57.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.16 billion, a PE ratio of 22.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.63.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The transportation company reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.12. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 2.25% and a return on equity of 14.72%. The firm had revenue of $2.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.92 EPS. Alaska Air Group’s revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group will post 4.39 EPS for the current year.

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.