Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Shares Acquired by Teacher Retirement System of Texas

Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) by 172.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,058 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 9,537 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas' holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $741,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. 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 last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. boosted its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 134.0% in the 4th quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 2,134,221 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $138,191,000 after purchasing an additional 1,222,277 shares during the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. grew its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 4,615.3% in the 4th quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 943,064 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $61,063,000 after buying an additional 923,064 shares during the period. Candlestick Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $51,306,000. Finally, Interval Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $50,507,000. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on ALK shares. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Monday, July 7th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $49.00 price objective on the stock. Susquehanna cut 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. Barclays lifted their target price on Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $80.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $54.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $66.83.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ALK traded up $1.49 on Thursday, hitting $53.14. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,741,185 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,912,119. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $32.62 and a 12-month high of $78.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 0.56 and a quick ratio of 0.52. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $50.80 and a 200-day moving average of $56.57. The company has a market capitalization of $6.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.41.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported ($0.77) earnings per share (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 analysts' expectations of $3.19 billion. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 2.86% and a return on equity of 15.01%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 40.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.92) EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alaska Air Group

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

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.