Baird Financial Group Inc. Sells 4,993 Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Baird Financial Group Inc. cut its position in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) by 3.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 136,457 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 4,993 shares during the quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. owned 0.11% of Alaska Air Group worth $8,836,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bayesian Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the fourth quarter worth $285,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 42.7% during the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 566,955 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $36,710,000 after buying an additional 169,673 shares during the last quarter. Algert Global LLC acquired a new stake in Alaska Air Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,862,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group during the fourth quarter worth about $555,000. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $4,438,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.90% of the company's stock.

Alaska Air Group Stock Down 1.6 %

NYSE ALK traded down $0.85 on Friday, hitting $51.92. 2,418,452 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,731,181. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $32.62 and a 12 month high of $78.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The company has a market cap of $6.37 billion, a PE ratio of 17.02, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.41. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $49.31 and a 200-day moving average of $58.19.

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 the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $3.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.92) earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 40.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Alaska Air Group

In related news, COO Muehlen Constance E. Von sold 22,157 shares of Alaska Air Group 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 of the company's stock, valued at $1,504,353.12. The trade was a 52.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 22,893 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.74, for a total value of $1,733,915.82. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 31,873 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,414,061.02. This trade represents a 41.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 51,683 shares of company stock valued at $3,903,453 over the last ninety days. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on ALK. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $80.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Barclays reduced their price target on Alaska Air Group from $62.00 to $55.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report 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 report on Monday, April 7th. UBS Group cut shares of Alaska Air Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $75.00 to $54.00 in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $65.92.

Alaska Air Group 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.