Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC Cuts Stock Position in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC lessened its position in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) by 6.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 13,736 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 995 shares during the quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC’s holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $889,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund raised its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 29,816 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,931,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised 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 valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 6,284 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $407,000 after buying an additional 206 shares during the period. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 10,180 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $460,000 after buying an additional 215 shares during the period. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 9,271 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $419,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ALK has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citigroup upped their price target on Alaska Air Group from $63.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. 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 report on Tuesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Susquehanna upgraded Alaska Air Group from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and set a $95.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $77.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Alaska Air Group news, VP Emily Halverson sold 1,329 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.41, for a total transaction 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 approximately $460,531.50. This trade represents a 15.67 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 91,745 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 189,198 shares of company stock valued at $13,415,604. 0.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Alaska Air Group Stock Down 2.6 %

Shares of NYSE ALK opened at $60.59 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $7.46 billion, a PE ratio of 19.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $32.62 and a 52-week high of $78.08. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $69.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $55.93.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates 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 research analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

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.