Insider Selling: Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) EVP Sells 91,745 Shares of Stock

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 91,745 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,468,187.32. The trade was a 81.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

NYSE ALK opened at $74.54 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $9.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.44, a PEG ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.54. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $32.62 and a twelve month high of $74.65. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $63.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $49.23. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.52. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 14.78% and a net margin of 3.37%. Sell-side analysts expect that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ALK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Barclays boosted their target price on Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Susquehanna upgraded shares of Alaska Air Group from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and set a $95.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Melius Research upgraded shares of Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $56.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Melius upgraded shares of Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $56.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.86.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Hennessy Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Alaska Air Group during the fourth quarter worth $82,459,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 2,087.8% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 762,889 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,490,000 after acquiring an additional 728,019 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,390,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 45.1% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,422,247 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $64,300,000 after purchasing an additional 442,331 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC grew its stake in Alaska Air Group by 32.4% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,084,639 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $49,037,000 after purchasing an additional 265,343 shares during the period. 81.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.