Barclays Has Lowered Expectations for Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) Stock Price

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) had its target price reduced by Barclays from $62.00 to $55.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the transportation company's stock.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $54.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Susquehanna cut their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $95.00 to $55.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped 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 cut their target price 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 upped their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Alaska Air Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $65.92.

Alaska Air Group Trading Up 0.6 %

ALK traded up $0.27 on Friday, hitting $43.97. The company had a trading volume of 1,403,829 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,657,132. The firm has a market cap of $5.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.42, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.37. Alaska Air Group has a 1 year low of $32.62 and a 1 year high of $78.08. The company's fifty day moving average price is $52.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $57.94. The company has a current ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $3.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.19 billion. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 14.66% and a net margin of 3.37%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 40.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.92) earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 22,893 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.74, for a total transaction of $1,733,915.82. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 31,873 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,414,061.02. This trade represents a 41.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 1,830 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.32, for a total value of $134,175.60. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 20,286 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,487,369.52. This represents a 8.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 53,480 shares of company stock valued at $4,035,973. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Alaska Air Group

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Banque Pictet & Cie SA purchased a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the first quarter worth about $380,000. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board purchased a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the first quarter worth about $1,235,000. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp boosted its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 9.6% during the first quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 13,843 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $682,000 after buying an additional 1,208 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Highview Capital Management LLC DE purchased a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the first quarter worth about $1,016,000. Hedge funds and other 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.