Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) Lowered to "Strong Sell" Rating by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Alaska Air Group from “sell” to “strong sell,” despite the broader analyst consensus remaining “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $65.65.
• Alaska Air Group reported a quarterly loss of $0.92 per share, slightly better than expectations, while revenue of $4.07 billion came in just below estimates. Analysts expect a full-year loss of $0.73 per share.
• The stock opened at $52.62, above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, while institutional investors own 81.9% of outstanding shares; an executive recently sold 5,300 shares worth about $263,000.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday.

ALK has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Alaska Air Group from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $59.00 target price (up from $51.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Alaska Air Group from $94.00 to $92.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 24th. Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $50.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $62.50 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $65.65.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ALK opened at $52.62 on Wednesday. Alaska Air Group has a one year low of $33.03 and a one year high of $65.88. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $47.70 and a 200-day moving average of $45.78. The company has a market capitalization of $5.86 billion, a PE ratio of -33.52 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.55.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The transportation company reported ($0.92) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.99) by $0.07. The business had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.09 billion. Alaska Air Group had a negative return on equity of 3.11% and a negative net margin of 1.19%.The company's revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.42 EPS. Alaska Air Group has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.000-1.000 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group will post -0.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Alaska Air Group

In other Alaska Air Group news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 5,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.67, for a total value of $263,251.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 25,528 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,267,975.76. This represents a 17.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital Research Global Investors raised its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 86.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 3,175,350 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $159,720,000 after acquiring an additional 1,475,350 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in Alaska Air Group by 19,661.8% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,235,901 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $62,166,000 after buying an additional 1,229,647 shares during the last quarter. Jain Global LLC acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group in the 4th quarter valued at $53,683,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 1,563.7% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,092,368 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $54,378,000 after acquiring an additional 1,026,710 shares during the period. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in Alaska Air Group in the 3rd quarter worth $48,583,000. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alaska Air Group Company Profile

Alaska Air Group is a publicly traded holding company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, that operates two main airlines—Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air. Through these carriers, the company offers scheduled passenger and cargo services across a network spanning the United States, Canada and Mexico. Its core business activities include domestic and international air transportation, loyalty program management under the Mileage Plan brand, and ancillary revenue streams such as baggage fees, in-flight sales and code-share partnerships with other global airlines.

The roots of Alaska Air Group trace back to the foundation of its flagship carrier, Alaska Airlines, in 1932.

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