American Century Companies Inc. Raises Stake in Alaska Air Group, Inc. $ALK

Key Points

• American Century Companies Inc. has increased its stake in Alaska Air Group by 1.5%, owning approximately 3.22 million shares valued at $158.69 million.
• Insider trading revealed that EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 7,600 shares for around $404,472, while CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 5,000 shares worth $285,300, indicating significant selling activity among executives.
• Analysts have raised their price targets for Alaska Air Group, with UBS setting a new target of $56.00 and several others giving the stock a "buy" rating, suggesting positive sentiment in the market.

American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) by 1.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,224,165 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 47,184 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned 2.63% of Alaska Air Group worth $158,693,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. US Bancorp DE raised its position in Alaska Air Group by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 21,982 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,082,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 3.4% in the first quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,821 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $385,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Alaska Air Group by 0.8% during the first quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 43,865 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,159,000 after acquiring an additional 339 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp lifted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 6,848 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $443,000 after acquiring an additional 376 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Perkins Coie Trust Co raised its stake in Alaska Air Group by 125.7% during the first quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 677 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 377 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on ALK shares. Barclays increased their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. TD Cowen raised their price target on Alaska Air Group from $54.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on Alaska Air Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $49.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Alaska Air Group has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $67.83.

Alaska Air Group Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of ALK stock traded down $0.2550 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $57.1450. 2,020,002 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,161,872. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $34.44 and a 12 month high of $78.08. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $51.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $54.19. The stock has a market cap of $6.59 billion, a PE ratio of 23.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Emily Halverson sold 2,946 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 8,253 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $423,709.02. This represents a 26.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.06, for a total transaction of $285,300.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 43,335 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,472,695.10. The trade was a 10.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,546 shares of company stock valued at $841,020. 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.