Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Receives $74.86 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the fourteen research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $74.86.

ALK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Melius 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 note on Monday, October 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $58.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target 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.

Alaska Air Group Stock Down 1.0 %

NYSE ALK opened at $74.78 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $65.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $50.30. Alaska Air Group has a one year low of $32.62 and a one year high of $75.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.61. The company has a market capitalization of $9.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.52, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.55.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 predict that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Alaska Air Group

In other Alaska Air Group news, VP Emily Halverson sold 1,329 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.41, for a total value of $85,600.89. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 7,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $460,531.50. This trade represents a 15.67 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 13,880 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.01, for a total transaction of $888,458.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,638 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,321,038.38. The trade was a 40.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 137,548 shares of company stock valued at $9,513,807. 0.92% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Alaska Air Group

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ALK. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 29,816 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,931,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted 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 worth $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% during the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 6,284 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $407,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 2.2% in the third quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 10,180 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $460,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in 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 buying an additional 242 shares during the period. 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.