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

Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twelve ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $66.83.

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $83.00 to $81.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Susquehanna cut their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $95.00 to $55.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $62.00 to $55.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $54.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ALK opened at $52.43 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $6.44 billion, a PE ratio of 17.19, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.44. The company's fifty day moving average is $48.34 and its 200 day moving average is $58.38. Alaska Air Group has a 52 week low of $32.62 and a 52 week high of $78.08. 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 (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported ($0.77) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.72) by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $3.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.19 billion. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 14.66% and a net margin of 3.37%. Alaska Air Group's revenue was up 40.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned ($0.92) EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 7,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.51, for a total transaction of $401,325.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 26,530 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,419,620.30. The trade was a 22.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Emily Halverson sold 2,946 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.34, for a total transaction of $151,247.64. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 8,253 shares in the company, valued at $423,709.02. The trade was a 26.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,479 shares of company stock valued at $554,228 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the first quarter worth about $5,314,000. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Alaska Air Group in the first quarter worth about $1,318,000. SCS Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Alaska Air Group in the first quarter worth about $269,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 81.7% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 340,258 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $16,747,000 after buying an additional 152,953 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 60.2% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,423 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $316,000 after buying an additional 2,414 shares during the last quarter. 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.