BlackRock Inc. Purchases Shares of 11,615,069 Alaska Air Group, Inc. $ALK

Key Points

• BlackRock acquired 11.6 million Alaska Air Group shares worth approximately $606.3 million, making it the company’s largest reported institutional shareholder with a 10.42% stake. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 81.9% of the stock.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $65.65 target price, despite conflicting views from some firms that maintain or issued “Sell” ratings.
• Alaska Air reported a quarterly loss of $0.92 per share, though it beat estimates, while revenue rose 9.7% year over year to $4.07 billion. The CEO also bought 25,000 shares, but the company remains unprofitable and analysts expect a full-year loss.

BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 11,615,069 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $606,307,000. BlackRock Inc. owned 10.42% of Alaska Air Group at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new stake in Alaska Air Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $981,000. Privium Fund Management UK Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,195,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $128,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,776,000. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $500,000. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Susquehanna upped their target price on Alaska Air Group from $50.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Barclays set a $65.00 price target on shares of Alaska Air Group and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $62.00 price target (up from $56.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Alaska Air Group from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $47.00 to $37.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Alaska Air Group currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $65.65.

Key Headlines Impacting Alaska Air Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: CEO Benito Minicucci purchased 25,000 Alaska Air shares at an average price of $40.06, investing approximately $1 million and increasing his direct ownership by 10.8%. The sizable open-market purchase may support investor confidence that management views the selloff as an attractive entry point. Alaska Air CEO share purchase article
• Positive Sentiment: Alaska Airlines plans to add nonstop Seattle flights to Athens and Paris in 2027. The new routes expand its long-haul network and could create additional revenue opportunities while strengthening Seattle as a global gateway. Alaska Airlines Athens and Paris routes article
• Neutral Sentiment: The stock has declined about 28% over the referenced period and was down 7.1% since its latest earnings report, keeping valuation and management’s insider purchase in focus. The decline also reflects continued concerns about the airline’s earnings outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Alaska Air’s latest quarterly results showed a loss of $0.92 per share, although that was better than the $0.99 consensus estimate. Revenue increased 9.7% year over year to $4.07 billion but slightly missed expectations, and the company remained unprofitable. Analysts expect a full-year loss, indicating that the new international routes may take time to contribute meaningfully.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

Shares of Alaska Air Group stock opened at $40.46 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.51. The firm has a market cap of $4.51 billion, a P/E ratio of -25.77 and a beta of 1.29. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $48.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $45.36. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $33.03 and a fifty-two week high of $65.88.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 3.11% and a negative net margin of 1.19%.The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.42 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Alaska Air Group has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.000-1.000 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post -1.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Alaska Air Group

In other news, CEO Benito Minicucci purchased 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $40.06 per share, for a total transaction of $1,001,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 256,582 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,278,674.92. This trade represents a 10.80% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 5,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.67, for a total value of $263,251.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 25,528 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,267,975.76. This represents a 17.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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