AQR Capital Management LLC Sells 16,158 Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. $ALK

Key Points

• AQR Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in Alaska Air Group by 1.2%, owning approximately 1.32 million shares valued at $63.35 million after selling 16,158 shares.
• Hedge funds and institutional investors collectively hold 81.90% of Alaska Air Group's stock, indicating strong interest from financial institutions.
• Analysts have expressed positive sentiment for Alaska Air, with the stock currently holding a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $68.00.

AQR Capital Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) by 1.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,321,988 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 16,158 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC owned about 1.08% of Alaska Air Group worth $63,350,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board bought a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the first quarter valued at $1,235,000. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 416.3% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 30,499 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,501,000 after buying an additional 24,592 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 25,160 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,238,000 after buying an additional 713 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV bought a new position in Alaska Air Group in the 1st quarter valued at $76,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in Alaska Air Group by 8.9% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 971,938 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $47,839,000 after buying an additional 79,099 shares in the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alaska Air Group

In other news, SVP Kyle B. Levine sold 5,914 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction on Monday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.75, for a total transaction of $341,533.50. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 20,917 shares in the company, valued at $1,207,956.75. This trade represents a 22.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.06, for a total value of $285,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 43,335 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,472,695.10. This trade represents a 10.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 18,514 shares of company stock valued at $1,031,306. Insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

Shares of ALK traded up $1.16 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $63.81. 3,702,270 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,131,710. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $56.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $52.84. The stock has a market cap of $7.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.94, a P/E/G ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.45. 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 1 year low of $38.97 and a 1 year high of $78.08.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.78 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.56 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $3.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.65 billion. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 12.62% and a net margin of 2.33%.Alaska Air Group's revenue was up 27.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company 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. Equities analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Raymond James Financial raised Alaska Air Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $70.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, August 25th. 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. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on Alaska Air Group from $49.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $68.00.

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.