Susquehanna Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) Stock Price

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) had its price target reduced by Susquehanna from $95.00 to $55.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “positive” rating on the transportation company’s stock. Susquehanna’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 23.32% from the company’s current price.

ALK has been the topic of a number of other research reports. UBS Group downgraded shares of Alaska Air Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the company from $75.00 to $54.00 in a report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target 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. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. 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. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $71.54.

Alaska Air Group Stock Up 0.3 %

ALK traded up $0.15 during trading on Monday, reaching $44.60. 1,067,748 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,543,322. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.61 and a quick ratio of 0.58. Alaska Air Group has a fifty-two week low of $32.62 and a fifty-two week high of $78.08. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $64.04 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $57.93. The stock has a market cap of $5.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.37.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.52. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 14.66% and a net margin of 3.37%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Alaska Air Group

In other news, CEO Joseph A. Sprague sold 9,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.90, for a total transaction of $654,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 9,840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $677,976. This trade represents a 49.12 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 6,600 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.28, for a total transaction 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. This trade represents a 16.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 154,725 shares of company stock worth $11,217,263. 0.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Alaska Air Group

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ALK. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 44.8% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 588 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $52,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 61.6% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 955 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 364 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP boosted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 848 shares in 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.