Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) Stock Rating Raised to "Sell" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Alaska Air Group from “strong sell” to “sell,” while broader analyst sentiment remains more favorable, with ten Buy ratings, one Hold, two Sell ratings, and an average price target of $60.27.
• Alaska Air Group shares opened at $40.97, down from their 52-week high of $60.63. The company reported a quarterly loss of $0.92 per share, though this was better than the $0.99 consensus estimate; revenue rose 9.7% year over year to $4.07 billion.
• Insider activity was mixed: CEO Benito Minicucci bought 25,000 shares, while EVP Andrew Harrison sold 5,300 shares. Institutional investors and hedge funds own approximately 81.9% of the company.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "strong sell" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note issued on Sunday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the company. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Wednesday. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Friday. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $54.00 target price (up from $52.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research note on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $62.50 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Alaska Air Group from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Alaska Air Group currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $60.27.

Alaska Air Group Stock Up 2.4%

ALK stock opened at $40.97 on Friday. Alaska Air Group has a 52-week low of $33.03 and a 52-week high of $60.63. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $43.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $43.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.57 billion, a P/E ratio of -26.10 and a beta of 1.28.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The transportation company reported ($0.92) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.99) by $0.07. Alaska Air Group had a negative return on equity of 3.11% and a negative net margin of 1.19%.The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.42 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Alaska Air Group has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.000-1.000 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group will post -1.86 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Alaska Air Group

In other Alaska Air Group news, EVP Andrew Harrison sold 5,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.67, for a total value of $263,251.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Benito Minicucci acquired 25,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $40.06 per share, for a total transaction of $1,001,500.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 256,582 shares in the company, valued at $10,278,674.92. This represents a 10.80% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 10.1% in the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 6,727 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $351,000 after purchasing an additional 617 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. bought a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $247,000. Capstone Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Alaska Air Group by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Capstone Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 30,206 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,577,000 after acquiring an additional 1,339 shares in the last quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP boosted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 1,445.3% in the 2nd quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 87,187 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $4,551,000 after purchasing an additional 81,545 shares during the period. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 29.9% in the 2nd quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 32,134 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,677,000 after purchasing an additional 7,391 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.90% of the company's stock.

About Alaska Air Group

Alaska Air Group, Inc is an airline holding company whose principal subsidiaries include Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and regional carrier Horizon Air. The company provides scheduled passenger and air cargo transportation, along with related services such as aircraft maintenance and ground handling through affiliated businesses.

Alaska Airlines serves destinations throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica and other parts of North America, while Hawaiian Airlines connects the Hawaiian Islands with the U.S.

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