Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Alaska Air Group from a "hold" to a "sell" in a research note issued on Saturday.
• Despite the downgrade, the Street consensus remains a Moderate Buy (nine Buys, two Holds) with a consensus price target of $67, though several analysts have recently cut their targets (e.g., Citigroup to $51, TD Cowen to $54).
• Alaska Air beat Q4 EPS expectations ($0.43 vs. $0.11 est.) while revenue slightly missed, and issued Q1 2026 guidance of -1.50 to -0.50 EPS and FY2026 guidance of 3.50–6.50 EPS; insiders have sold roughly 56,945 shares in the past 90 days.

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

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on the company. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $63.00 to $54.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Raymond James Financial reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $71.00 target price on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $63.00 price target on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Alaska Air Group from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $69.00 to $51.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $67.00.

Alaska Air Group Stock Down 2.8%

Shares of NYSE ALK opened at $36.85 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.22 billion, a PE ratio of 42.36, a P/E/G ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $49.61 and a 200-day moving average of $49.35. Alaska Air Group has a 52-week low of $36.68 and a 52-week high of $65.88.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.32. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 7.22% and a net margin of 0.70%.The business had revenue of $3.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.64 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.97 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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. On average, analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Kyle B. Levine sold 2,945 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.02, for a total transaction of $176,758.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,977 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,259,039.54. The trade was a 12.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 14,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.81, for a total value of $794,745.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,195 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,106,887.95. This represents a 41.79% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 56,945 shares of company stock valued at $3,204,569. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ALK. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 40.1% during the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 173,610 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $8,642,000 after acquiring an additional 49,663 shares in the last quarter. CM Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the third quarter worth about $1,244,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 29.1% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 206,172 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $10,263,000 after acquiring an additional 46,445 shares in the last quarter. Arista Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Alaska Air Group in the third quarter valued at about $417,000. Finally, Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in Alaska Air Group in the third quarter valued at about $4,194,000. 81.90% of the stock is 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.