Insider Selling: Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) EVP Sells 6,600 Shares of Stock

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 6,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.28, for a total value of $503,448.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 34,030 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,595,808.40. The trade was a 16.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

Shares of ALK opened at $71.42 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.42, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.55. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $32.62 and a 52 week high of $78.08. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $69.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $54.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.61.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ALK has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Susquehanna raised 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 report on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on Alaska Air Group from $63.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Alaska Air Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $76.69.

Institutional Trading of Alaska Air Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ALK. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in Alaska Air Group by 22.6% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,144 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $142,000 after purchasing an additional 579 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $86,270,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 165.7% in the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 19,444 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $879,000 after acquiring an additional 12,126 shares in the last quarter. Ellis Investment Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 1.4% during the third quarter. Ellis Investment Partners LLC now owns 44,928 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,031,000 after acquiring an additional 620 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pallas Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the third quarter worth $317,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

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.