Bailard Inc. Takes Position in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Bailard Inc. purchased a new position in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 15,870 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $781,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 328.7% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,649,388 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $301,048,000 after purchasing an additional 3,564,749 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. boosted its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 134.0% in the 4th quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 2,134,221 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $138,191,000 after purchasing an additional 1,222,277 shares in the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. raised its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 4,615.3% in the fourth quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 943,064 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $61,063,000 after purchasing an additional 923,064 shares during the last quarter. Candlestick Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the fourth quarter worth $51,306,000. Finally, Interval Partners LP bought a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 4th quarter valued at $50,507,000. 81.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

NYSE ALK traded down $0.02 during trading on Friday, reaching $53.10. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,616,075 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,906,783. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.56. The firm has a market cap of $6.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.31, a P/E/G ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 1.41. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $32.62 and a twelve month high of $78.08. The business's fifty day moving average price is $50.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $56.35.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported ($0.77) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.72) by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $3.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.19 billion. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 15.01% and a net margin of 2.86%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 40.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.92) EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Alaska Air Group

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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 26,530 shares in the company, valued at $1,419,620.30. The trade was a 22.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Emily Halverson sold 2,946 shares of the company'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 completion of the transaction, the vice president 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,479 shares of company stock valued at $554,228 in the last ninety days. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ALK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays raised their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $80.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $54.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Monday, July 7th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $49.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Susquehanna cut their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $95.00 to $55.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $66.83.

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.