Capstone Financial Advisors Inc. Increases Holdings in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Key Points

• Capstone Financial Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Alaska Air Group, Inc. by 47.8%, owning 19,540 shares worth $962,000 at the end of the latest reporting period.
• Alaska Air Group reported a strong quarterly performance with $1.78 EPS, exceeding analysts' expectations of $1.56, and a 27.9% year-over-year revenue growth.
• Several analysts have raised their price targets on Alaska Air Group shares, with Barclays increasing it from $55.00 to $60.00 and UBS from $49.00 to $56.00, reflecting positive sentiment in the stock.

Capstone Financial Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) by 47.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,540 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,316 shares during the period. Capstone Financial Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $962,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Perkins Coie Trust Co boosted 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 during the period. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 459.1% during the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,297 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 1,065 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV bought a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the first quarter worth approximately $76,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in Alaska Air Group by 96.3% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,926 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 945 shares in the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on ALK. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Susquehanna lifted their price target on Alaska Air Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research note on Tuesday. UBS Group increased their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $49.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their target price on Alaska Air Group from $54.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $67.83.

Insider Transactions at Alaska Air Group

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 value of $151,247.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 8,253 shares of the company's stock, valued at $423,709.02. This represents a 26.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 7,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.22, for a total transaction of $404,472.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,930 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,007,454.60. This trade represents a 28.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 18,046 shares of company stock worth $957,045 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Alaska Air Group Trading Up 1.6%

NYSE:ALK traded up $0.85 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $54.03. 1,781,066 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,825,493. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $50.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $55.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.96, a PEG ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.49. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $33.41 and a 12-month high of $78.08.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.56 by $0.22. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 12.62% and a net margin of 2.33%. The firm had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.65 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.55 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 27.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

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.