Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Alaska Air Group has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from analysts, with 13 buy ratings, one hold, and one sell rating among the 15 analysts covering the stock.
• The stock opened at $47.26 and has a market capitalization of $5.45 billion, with a PE ratio of 19.21 and a 52-week range between $39.79 and $78.08.
• Shares of Alaska Air experienced a recent decline of 3.8%, and the company reported $1.78 earnings per share for the last quarter, surpassing expectations and indicating a revenue increase of 27.9% year-over-year.

Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the fifteen analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $71.6154.

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research lowered shares of Alaska Air Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Raymond James Financial set a $68.00 price target on shares of Alaska Air Group and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. Susquehanna set a $58.00 price target on shares of Alaska Air Group and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $73.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, September 12th.

Alaska Air Group Stock Down 3.8%

Shares of Alaska Air Group stock opened at $47.26 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.45 billion, a PE ratio of 19.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.40. Alaska Air Group has a 52-week low of $39.79 and a 52-week high of $78.08. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $56.23 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $51.82.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.56 by $0.22. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 2.33% and a return on equity of 12.62%. The business had revenue of $3.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.65 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.55 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 27.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Alaska Air Group has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 1.000-1.400 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 3.250- EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Alaska Air Group

In related news, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.06, for a total transaction of $285,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 43,335 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,472,695.10. The trade was a 10.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 7,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.22, for a total transaction of $404,472.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,930 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,007,454.60. This trade represents a 28.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 18,514 shares of company stock worth $1,031,306. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Alaska Air Group

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Alaska Air Group by 1.3% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,266,619 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $161,632,000 after buying an additional 42,454 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in Alaska Air Group by 249.1% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,638,464 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $129,865,000 after buying an additional 1,882,598 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Alaska Air Group by 3.6% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,215,697 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $109,657,000 after buying an additional 77,531 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in Alaska Air Group by 20.2% during the first quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,910,364 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $94,028,000 after buying an additional 321,505 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Alaska Air Group by 10.1% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,456,129 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $71,809,000 after buying an additional 134,141 shares during the period. 81.90% of the stock is currently 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.

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