Everence Capital Management Inc. Sells 9,400 Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Everence Capital Management Inc. lessened its position in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) by 56.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,210 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 9,400 shares during the quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $467,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Pacific Center for Financial Services bought a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Alaska Air Group by 86.0% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,025 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 474 shares during the period. Pacifica Partners Inc. increased its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 952.4% during the third quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 1,105 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in Alaska Air Group in the third quarter worth approximately $52,000. Institutional investors own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Alaska Air Group

In other Alaska Air Group news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 13,880 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.01, for a total value of $888,458.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,638 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,321,038.38. This trade represents a 40.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.89, for a total transaction of $51,112.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 20,286 shares in the company, valued at $1,296,072.54. This represents a 3.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 34,473 shares of company stock valued at $2,198,342 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ALK opened at $63.98 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $8.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.54. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $32.62 and a 52-week high of $67.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.60. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $56.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $45.56.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The transportation company reported $2.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.22 by $0.03. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 12.81% and a net margin of 2.99%. The firm had revenue of $3.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.83 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 4.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on ALK. Citigroup upped their price objective 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. Melius upgraded 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. Susquehanna raised their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Melius Research upgraded Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $56.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $65.86.

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.