Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Short Interest Down 21.5% in August

Key Points

• Alaska Air Group's short interest decreased by 21.5% in August, dropping from 6,100,000 shares to 4,790,000 shares, indicating increased investor confidence.
• The company reported a $1.78 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding expectations and marking a 27.9% year-over-year revenue increase.
• Analysts have raised their price targets for Alaska Air Group, with an average target price of $68.00, and twelve analysts currently rate the stock as a Buy.

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in August. As of August 15th, there was short interest totaling 4,790,000 shares, adeclineof21.5% from the July 31st total of 6,100,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,640,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.8 days. Approximately4.2% of the company's stock are short sold. Approximately4.2% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 2,640,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.8 days.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

Shares of Alaska Air Group stock traded down $1.15 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $62.54. 1,400,339 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,092,865. The company has a market cap of $7.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $55.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $52.76. Alaska Air Group has a fifty-two week low of $38.97 and a fifty-two week high of $78.08.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $49.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised shares of Alaska Air Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $70.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, August 25th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Alaska Air Group has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $68.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Alaska Air Group 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 value of $285,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 43,335 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,472,695.10. The trade was a 10.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Kyle B. Levine sold 5,914 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.75, for a total transaction of $341,533.50. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 20,917 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,207,956.75. This represents a 22.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 18,514 shares of company stock valued at $1,031,306 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 41.1% during the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 632 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 184 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE lifted its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 1.0% in the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 21,982 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,082,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 7.8% in the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,113 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $154,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 7,237 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $358,000 after buying an additional 232 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valeo Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in Alaska Air Group by 3.4% during the first quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,821 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $385,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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