Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Shares Sold by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. reduced its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) by 76.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 20,938 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 66,486 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.'s holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $1,031,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Perkins Coie Trust Co lifted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 125.7% during the 1st quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 677 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 377 shares during the last quarter. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $52,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 61.6% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 955 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 364 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 459.1% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,297 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 1,065 shares during the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Alaska Air Group Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:ALK traded up $0.04 during trading on Friday, reaching $46.91. The stock had a trading volume of 2,723,010 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,863,820. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $48.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $58.09. The company has a current ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a one year low of $32.62 and a one year high of $78.08. The company has a market capitalization of $5.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.06, a PEG ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.44.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last posted 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 2.86% and a return on equity of 15.01%. The firm had revenue of $3.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.92) EPS. The company's revenue was up 40.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Alaska Air Group

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on ALK shares. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $80.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Citigroup reduced their price objective 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 downgraded Alaska Air Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $75.00 to $54.00 in a report on Monday, April 7th. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $95.00 to $55.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Alaska Air Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $66.83.

About Alaska Air Group

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.