Castleark Management LLC Acquires Shares of 76,620 Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Castleark Management LLC acquired a new stake in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 76,620 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $4,961,000. Castleark Management LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Alaska Air Group at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ALK. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 44.8% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 588 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $52,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Alaska Air Group by 61.6% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 955 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 364 shares in the last quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group in the 4th quarter worth about $76,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 97.9% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,623 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $105,000 after acquiring an additional 803 shares during the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

Shares of ALK stock traded up $1.71 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $52.42. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,175,483 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,781,488. The business has a fifty day moving average of $48.46 and a 200-day moving average of $58.49. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $32.62 and a 52 week high of $78.08. The company has a market cap of $6.43 billion, a PE ratio of 17.19, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported ($0.77) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.72) by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $3.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.19 billion. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 14.66%. Alaska Air Group's 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, research analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on ALK. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $83.00 to $81.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $80.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $54.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Susquehanna dropped their target price on Alaska Air Group from $95.00 to $55.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $62.00 to $55.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $66.83.

Insider Transactions at Alaska Air Group

In other news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.51, for a total transaction of $401,325.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,530 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,419,620.30. This trade represents a 22.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.