Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Shares Sold by AQR Capital Management LLC

AQR Capital Management LLC reduced its position in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) by 35.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,338,146 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 723,106 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC owned about 1.05% of Alaska Air Group worth $86,645,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,651,876 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $883,959,000 after acquiring an additional 56,409 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,225,054 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $403,076,000 after buying an additional 56,740 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 328.7% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,649,388 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $301,048,000 after purchasing an additional 3,564,749 shares during the period. Boston Partners boosted its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 6.9% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,460,959 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $224,121,000 after acquiring an additional 222,780 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,432,052 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $92,725,000 after acquiring an additional 9,805 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.90% of the company's stock.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ALK traded up $1.24 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $49.89. The stock had a trading volume of 1,857,769 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,511,063. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.61. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $32.62 and a 1-year high of $78.08. The stock has a market cap of $6.12 billion, a PE ratio of 16.36, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.41. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $50.77 and a 200-day moving average price of $58.04.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported ($0.77) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.72) by ($0.05). Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 14.66%. The business had revenue of $3.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.92) earnings per share. Alaska Air Group's quarterly revenue was up 40.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ALK has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $62.00 to $55.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $80.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Citigroup dropped their target price on Alaska Air Group from $83.00 to $81.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. UBS Group lowered Alaska Air Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $75.00 to $54.00 in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Susquehanna cut their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $95.00 to $55.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $65.92.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 6,600 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.28, for a total transaction of $503,448.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 34,030 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,595,808.40. The trade was a 16.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 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 shares were sold at an average price of $75.12, for a total value of $1,664,433.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 20,026 shares in the company, valued at $1,504,353.12. This represents a 52.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 51,650 shares of company stock valued at $3,901,798. Insiders own 1.00% 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.