Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Shares Acquired by Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) by 25.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 24,447 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 5,003 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $1,583,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 40.1% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 8,105 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $525,000 after buying an additional 2,320 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 2,046.4% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 96,932 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $6,276,000 after acquiring an additional 92,416 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC bought a new stake in Alaska Air Group in the fourth quarter worth $203,000. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the fourth quarter worth $260,000. Finally, Savant Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 6,284 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $407,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alaska Air Group Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of ALK stock traded down $0.14 on Tuesday, reaching $51.59. 2,644,887 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,826,389. 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's fifty day simple moving average is $48.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $58.37. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $32.62 and a 52 week high of $78.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.33 billion, a PE ratio of 16.91, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.44.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported ($0.77) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.72) by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $3.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.19 billion. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 14.66% and a net margin of 3.37%. Alaska Air Group's quarterly revenue was up 40.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.92) earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Alaska Air Group news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 7,500 shares of the business's 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 sale, the executive vice president now 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Emily Halverson sold 2,946 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at $423,709.02. This trade represents a 26.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 10,479 shares of company stock worth $554,228. Insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.