Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Makes New Investment in Alaska Air Group, Inc. $ALK

Key Points

• Assenagon Asset Management acquired 26,959 shares of Alaska Air Group, valued at approximately $1.4 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 81.90% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $65.65, despite Weiss Ratings maintaining a sell rating.
• Alaska Air Group’s latest quarterly loss of $0.92 per share beat expectations, while revenue rose 9.7% year over year to $4.07 billion. The company remains forecast to post a full-year loss, although some 2026 and later earnings estimates have improved.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 26,959 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $1,407,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. First Command Advisory Services Inc. boosted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 242.5% in the fourth quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 685 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 485 shares in the last quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC grew its stake in Alaska Air Group by 963.3% during the 2nd quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 840 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 761 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its position in Alaska Air Group by 30.4% in the 4th quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 910 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC increased its stake in Alaska Air Group by 32.5% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,570 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 385 shares during the period. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on ALK shares. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Alaska Air Group from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Susquehanna boosted their price target on Alaska Air Group from $50.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Barclays set a $65.00 price objective on Alaska Air Group and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $59.00 target price (up from $51.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, UBS Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $62.00 price target (up from $56.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $65.65.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ALK opened at $45.88 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $5.11 billion, a P/E ratio of -29.22 and a beta of 1.29. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $33.03 and a 52 week high of $65.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $48.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $45.76.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The transportation company reported ($0.92) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.99) by $0.07. Alaska Air Group had a negative net margin of 1.19% and a negative return on equity of 3.11%. The business had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.09 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.42 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Alaska Air Group has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.000-1.000 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post -0.9 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Alaska Air Group

In other Alaska Air Group news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 5,300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.67, for a total value of $263,251.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 25,528 shares in the company, valued at $1,267,975.76. The trade was a 17.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Alaska Air Group

Here are the key news stories impacting Alaska Air Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised its Q3 2026 EPS estimate to $0.91 from $0.40 and its Q4 2026 forecast to $0.15 from a projected loss of $0.38. The firm also improved its FY2026 forecast to a loss of $1.54 per share, compared with its prior estimate of a $2.54 loss. Zacks Research Alaska Air Group estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Some later-period estimates were increased, including Q4 2027 EPS to $1.80 from $1.52, Q1 2028 EPS to $2.60 from $1.06, and Q2 2028 EPS to $2.17 from $1.87. These changes point to expectations for stronger earnings beyond 2026. Zacks Research forecast for Alaska Air Group earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks maintained a Hold rating on Alaska Air Group. Its revised forecasts remain uneven, with a current-year loss expected and profitability dependent on improvement in subsequent quarters.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks reduced its Q1 2027 EPS estimate to $0.52 from $0.74, Q3 2027 to $1.94 from $2.34, and FY2027 to $6.20 from $6.31. The cuts temper the positive impact of the upgraded 2026 estimates and signal concern about the pace or durability of the recovery.
• Neutral Sentiment: A separate August 14 article discusses earnings forecasts for ALK, but the provided information does not include additional estimates or a new analyst rating.
• Neutral Sentiment: An article about tree-pollen and house-dust-mite allergy tablets recommended by the U.K.’s NICE concerns ALK-Abelló A/S (Nasdaq Copenhagen: ALK B), not Alaska Air Group. It is therefore not relevant to Alaska Air Group’s stock.

About Alaska Air Group

Alaska Air Group is a publicly traded holding company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, that operates two main airlines—Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air. Through these carriers, the company offers scheduled passenger and cargo services across a network spanning the United States, Canada and Mexico. Its core business activities include domestic and international air transportation, loyalty program management under the Mileage Plan brand, and ancillary revenue streams such as baggage fees, in-flight sales and code-share partnerships with other global airlines.

The roots of Alaska Air Group trace back to the foundation of its flagship carrier, Alaska Airlines, in 1932.

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