Balyasny Asset Management L.P. Has $136.71 Million Stake in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Balyasny Asset Management L.P. trimmed its stake in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,111,315 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 30,794 shares during the quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. owned approximately 1.66% of Alaska Air Group worth $136,708,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 328.7% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,649,388 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $301,048,000 after purchasing an additional 3,564,749 shares during the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Alaska Air Group during the fourth quarter worth about $82,459,000. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. increased its position in Alaska Air Group by 4,615.3% during the fourth quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 943,064 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $61,063,000 after buying an additional 923,064 shares during the last quarter. Candlestick Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $51,306,000. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC raised its stake in Alaska Air Group by 421.9% in the fourth quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 704,575 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $45,621,000 after buying an additional 569,584 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ALK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group lowered Alaska Air Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $75.00 to $54.00 in a report on Monday, April 7th. Citigroup decreased their price objective 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 target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $80.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $65.92.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Alaska Air Group news, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 22,893 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.74, for a total value of $1,733,915.82. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 31,873 shares in the company, valued at $2,414,061.02. The trade was a 41.80 % 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, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 6,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.28, for a total transaction of $503,448.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 34,030 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,595,808.40. This trade represents a 16.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 51,650 shares of company stock worth $3,901,798 over the last three months. Insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

Shares of ALK traded up $0.09 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $50.03. 3,206,219 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,712,025. The company has a market cap of $6.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.40, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.41. The firm's fifty day moving average is $49.91 and its 200 day moving average is $57.93. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $32.62 and a fifty-two 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 released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported ($0.77) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.72) by ($0.05). Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 14.66%. The firm had revenue of $3.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.92) earnings per share. Alaska Air Group's quarterly revenue was up 40.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alaska Air Group 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.