Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Has $1.03 Million Stock Holdings in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. trimmed its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) by 76.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 20,938 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 66,486 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.'s holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $1,031,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ALK. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 328.7% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,649,388 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $301,048,000 after buying an additional 3,564,749 shares during the period. Point72 Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in Alaska Air Group by 134.0% during the fourth quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 2,134,221 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $138,191,000 after acquiring an additional 1,222,277 shares during the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. boosted its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 4,615.3% during the fourth quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 943,064 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $61,063,000 after acquiring an additional 923,064 shares during the period. Candlestick Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $51,306,000. Finally, Interval Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $50,507,000. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Emily Halverson sold 2,946 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.34, for a total transaction of $151,247.64. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 8,253 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $423,709.02. The trade was a 26.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 now directly owns 26,530 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,419,620.30. The trade was a 22.04% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 10,479 shares of company stock valued at $554,228. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ALK has been the topic of a number of research reports. UBS Group lowered Alaska Air Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $75.00 to $54.00 in a report on Monday, April 7th. Bank of America reduced 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $95.00 to $55.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $54.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Alaska Air Group has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $66.83.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

Shares of Alaska Air Group stock traded up $0.04 on Friday, reaching $46.91. 2,723,010 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,866,480. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.56. The firm has a market cap of $5.76 billion, a PE ratio of 17.06, a P/E/G ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.44. The firm's 50 day moving average is $48.89 and its 200-day moving average is $58.08. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a one year low of $32.62 and a one year high of $78.08.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported ($0.77) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.72) by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $3.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.19 billion. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 2.86% and a return on equity of 15.01%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 40.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.92) earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.