Ameriprise Financial Inc. Has $36.71 Million Position in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) by 42.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 566,955 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 169,673 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned 0.45% of Alaska Air Group worth $36,710,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ALK. FMR LLC boosted its position in Alaska Air Group by 328.7% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,649,388 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $301,048,000 after buying an additional 3,564,749 shares during the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $82,459,000. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. raised its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 4,615.3% in 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 purchasing an additional 923,064 shares in the last quarter. Candlestick Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $51,306,000. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 421.9% in the 4th quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 704,575 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $45,621,000 after purchasing an additional 569,584 shares in the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alaska Air Group

In other Alaska Air Group news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 6,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.28, for a total value of $503,448.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 34,030 shares in the company, valued at $2,595,808.40. The trade was a 16.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Muehlen Constance E. Von sold 22,157 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.12, for a total transaction of $1,664,433.84. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 20,026 shares in the company, valued at $1,504,353.12. The trade was a 52.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 28,790 shares of company stock valued at $2,169,537 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ALK traded up $0.73 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $53.71. 2,492,559 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,758,775. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $32.62 and a fifty-two week high of $78.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.61 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The firm has a market cap of $6.59 billion, a PE ratio of 17.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.41. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $48.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $58.43.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported ($0.77) earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $3.19 billion. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 14.66% and a net margin of 3.37%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 40.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted ($0.92) earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ALK shares. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $62.00 to $55.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Susquehanna dropped their price objective 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. Bank of America dropped their price objective 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective 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. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $83.00 to $81.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $66.83.

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.