AlphaQuest LLC Buys 9,520 Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. $ALK

Key Points

• AlphaQuest LLC increased its stake in Alaska Air Group, Inc. by 929.7%, purchasing an additional 9,520 shares in the first quarter, bringing its total ownership to 10,544 shares valued at approximately $519,000.
$1.78 per share for the last quarter, exceeding analyst expectations of $1.56, with revenues reaching $3.70 billion, a 27.9% increase compared to the previous year.
• Analysts show strong confidence in the stock, with a consensus average target price of $68.00 and a majority rating it as a Buy.

AlphaQuest LLC raised its position in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) by 929.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,544 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 9,520 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC's holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $519,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 41.1% during the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 632 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co increased its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 125.7% in the first quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 677 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 377 shares in the last quarter. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 459.1% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,297 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 1,065 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $71,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ALK has been the subject of a number of research reports. Raymond James Financial raised shares of Alaska Air Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $70.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $49.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $68.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Emily Halverson sold 2,946 shares of Alaska Air Group 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 transaction, the vice president directly owned 8,253 shares of the company's stock, valued at $423,709.02. This trade represents a 26.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 5,000 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.06, for a total transaction of $285,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 43,335 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,472,695.10. This represents a 10.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 21,460 shares of company stock valued at $1,182,553. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Alaska Air Group Trading Down 0.5%

ALK traded down $0.34 during trading on Friday, reaching $62.84. 1,641,801 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,115,242. The company's fifty day moving average price is $53.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $53.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.52. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $35.67 and a fifty-two week high of $78.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.25 billion, a PE ratio of 25.54, a P/E/G ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.45.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.56 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.65 billion. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 2.33% and a return on equity of 12.62%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 27.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.55 earnings per share. Alaska Air Group has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 1.000-1.400 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 3.250- EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current 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.