Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) Now Covered by UBS Group

Research analysts at UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) in a report issued on Monday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm set a "neutral" rating and a $49.00 price target on the transportation company's stock. UBS Group's price target indicates a potential downside of 3.26% from the stock's previous close.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Bank of America decreased their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $80.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Barclays reduced their price target on Alaska Air Group from $62.00 to $55.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Citigroup reduced their price target on Alaska Air Group from $83.00 to $81.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. TD Cowen raised their price target on Alaska Air Group from $54.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their price target on Alaska Air Group from $95.00 to $55.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $66.42.

Alaska Air Group Stock Down 0.8%

ALK traded down $0.40 during trading on Monday, reaching $50.65. The stock had a trading volume of 3,090,009 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,903,696. The stock's 50 day moving average is $49.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $57.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05. The company has a market capitalization of $6.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.42, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.41. Alaska Air Group has a one year low of $32.62 and a one year high of $78.08.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 15.01% and a net margin of 2.86%. Alaska Air Group's revenue for the quarter was up 40.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.92) EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Emily Halverson sold 2,946 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.34, for a total value of $151,247.64. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 8,253 shares in the company, valued at $423,709.02. This represents a 26.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.51, for a total transaction of $401,325.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 26,530 shares in the company, valued at $1,419,620.30. This trade represents a 22.04% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 10,479 shares of company stock valued at $554,228. 0.92% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ALK. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 328.7% in 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 period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 249.1% during the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 134.0% during the 4th quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 2,134,221 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $138,191,000 after buying an additional 1,222,277 shares in the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. lifted its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 4,615.3% during the 4th quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 943,064 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $61,063,000 after buying an additional 923,064 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Candlestick Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $51,306,000. Institutional investors own 81.90% of the company's stock.

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.