Caxton Associates LLP Buys Shares of 44,360 Alaska Air Group, Inc. $ALK

Key Points

• Caxton Associates LLP has acquired a new stake in Alaska Air Group, purchasing 44,360 shares valued at approximately $2,183,000 in the first quarter.
• Insider selling has been notable, with EVP Andrew R. Harrison and SVP Kyle B. Levine selling shares, leading to decreases in their respective ownership stakes.
• Recent analyst reports have boosted price targets for Alaska Air Group, with UBS raising their target from $49.00 to $56.00 and Raymond James setting a new target of $70.00.

Caxton Associates LLP bought a new stake in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 44,360 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $2,183,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ALK. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 41.1% in the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 632 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co boosted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 125.7% in the first quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 677 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 377 shares in the last quarter. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 459.1% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,297 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 1,065 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group in the first quarter valued at $71,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.90% of the company's stock.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

Shares of ALK traded down $0.46 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $63.40. 2,724,943 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,283,586. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $39.10 and a fifty-two week high of $78.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.77, a P/E/G ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.45. The business's 50 day moving average is $56.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $52.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.56 by $0.22. The business had revenue of $3.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.65 billion. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 2.33% and a return on equity of 12.62%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 27.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.55 earnings per share. Alaska Air Group has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 1.000-1.400 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 3.250- EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on ALK shares. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Alaska Air Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $70.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, August 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $73.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. UBS Group upgraded shares of Alaska Air Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $56.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Friday. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $71.15.

Insider Activity at Alaska Air Group

In related news, SVP Kyle B. Levine sold 5,914 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.75, for a total value of $341,533.50. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 20,917 shares in the company, valued at $1,207,956.75. This trade represents a 22.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.06, for a total transaction of $285,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 43,335 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,472,695.10. The trade was a 10.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 18,514 shares of company stock worth $1,031,306 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

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.