25,100 Shares in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Purchased by New Mexico Educational Retirement Board

New Mexico Educational Retirement Board bought a new position in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 25,100 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $1,235,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its position in Alaska Air Group by 416.3% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 30,499 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,501,000 after acquiring an additional 24,592 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 25,160 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,238,000 after buying an additional 713 shares during the period. KBC Group NV acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group in the 1st quarter valued at $76,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 16.5% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,033 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $199,000 after acquiring an additional 571 shares during the period. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group during the 1st quarter worth $128,000. 81.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on ALK shares. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $80.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday. 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 research report on Monday, April 7th. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Monday, July 7th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $49.00 target price for the company. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $83.00 to $81.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $66.83.

Insider Transactions at Alaska Air Group

In other news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.51, for a total transaction of $401,325.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 26,530 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,419,620.30. This trade represents a 22.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Emily Halverson sold 2,946 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.34, for a total transaction of $151,247.64. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 8,253 shares of the company's stock, valued at $423,709.02. The trade was a 26.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 10,479 shares of company stock valued at $554,228 over the last ninety days. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

Alaska Air Group stock traded down $1.63 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $52.55. The company had a trading volume of 2,218,255 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,919,516. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $32.62 and a 52 week high of $78.08. The company has a 50 day moving average of $50.65 and a 200-day moving average of $56.80. The firm has a market cap of $6.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.11, a PEG ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.41.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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). Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 2.86% and a return on equity of 15.01%. The company had revenue of $3.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.19 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.92) earnings per share. Alaska Air Group's revenue for the quarter was up 40.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.