Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) Price Target Lowered to $54.00 at TD Cowen

Key Points

• TD Cowen cut its price target on Alaska Air Group from $63 to $54 but kept a "buy" rating, implying about a 32% upside from the prior close; analysts' consensus remains a "Moderate Buy" with a $70.50 average target.
• Shares traded down to $40.92 (12‑month range $37.63–$65.88) with a market cap of $4.69B and a high P/E of 47.0; the company set Q1 2026 guidance of -1.50 to -0.50 EPS and FY 2026 guidance of 3.50–6.50 EPS.
• Insiders sold material stock (CFO sold 24,000 shares; insiders sold 56,945 shares worth $3.2M in 90 days) even as large institutions materially increased stakes, leaving institutional ownership at about 81.9%.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) had its price target dropped by research analysts at TD Cowen from $63.00 to $54.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "buy" rating on the transportation company's stock. TD Cowen's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 31.96% from the company's previous close.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Bank of America boosted their price target on Alaska Air Group from $62.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Alaska Air Group from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $70.00 price target (up from $60.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Monday, January 12th. UBS Group set a $77.00 price target on shares of Alaska Air Group and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Alaska Air Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $70.50.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

Shares of ALK traded down $1.38 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $40.92. The stock had a trading volume of 3,720,928 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,749,592. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.50. Alaska Air Group has a 12 month low of $37.63 and a 12 month high of $65.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.69 billion, a PE ratio of 47.03, a PEG ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.16. The company's 50-day moving average is $51.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $50.69.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.32. The business had revenue of $3.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.64 billion. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 7.22% and a net margin of 0.70%.Alaska Air Group's quarterly revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.97 EPS. Alaska Air Group has set its Q1 2026 guidance at -1.500--0.500 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 3.500-6.500 EPS. Research analysts expect that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Alaska Air Group

In related news, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 24,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.15, for a total transaction of $1,371,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 43,377 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,478,995.55. This trade represents a 35.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 5,500 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.63, for a total value of $311,465.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 30,828 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,745,789.64. The trade was a 15.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 56,945 shares of company stock worth $3,204,569 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

About Alaska Air Group

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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