Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Shares Bought by Plan Group Financial LLC

Plan Group Financial LLC increased its stake in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,136 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 257 shares during the period. Plan Group Financial LLC’s holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $527,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ALK. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Alaska Air Group by 44.8% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 588 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 6,284 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $407,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares during the period. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 2.2% during the third quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 10,180 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $460,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 9,271 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $419,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Greenleaf Trust increased its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 5,283 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $342,000 after buying an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on ALK. Barclays raised their price target on Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $63.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Melius Research raised Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $56.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.86.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Alaska Air Group news, VP Emily Halverson sold 1,329 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.41, for a total transaction of $85,600.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 7,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $460,531.50. This represents a 15.67 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 5,000 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.56, for a total transaction of $317,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 27,362 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,739,128.72. The trade was a 15.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 160,441 shares of company stock valued at $11,247,722. 0.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

Shares of Alaska Air Group stock opened at $75.36 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $32.62 and a 12-month high of $76.45. The firm has a market cap of $9.57 billion, a PE ratio of 24.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.55. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $68.62 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $52.71.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 earnings per share 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

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.