Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Has $2.14 Million Holdings in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group Inc. significantly increased its stake in Alaska Air Group by 1,156.1% during Q1, owning 43,460 shares valued at $2.14 million.
• Multiple institutional investors, including FMR LLC and Point72 Asset Management, have also raised their positions in Alaska Air Group, with institutional ownership now at 81.90%.
• The company reported earnings of $1.78 per share for the quarter, surpassing expectations, with a revenue increase of 27.9% year-over-year.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) by 1,156.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 43,460 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 40,000 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $2,139,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in ALK. FMR LLC raised its position 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 valued at $301,048,000 after buying an additional 3,564,749 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. raised its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 134.0% in the fourth quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 2,134,221 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $138,191,000 after buying an additional 1,222,277 shares in the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. raised its position 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 valued at $61,063,000 after buying an additional 923,064 shares in the last quarter. Candlestick Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $51,306,000. Finally, Interval Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $50,507,000. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

NYSE ALK opened at $51.40 on Monday. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $50.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $55.36. The stock has a market cap of $6.31 billion, a PE ratio of 20.89, a PEG ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 1.45. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $32.62 and a fifty-two week high of $78.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.52.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.56 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.65 billion. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 2.33% and a return on equity of 12.62%. The company's revenue was up 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.55 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alaska Air Group

In related news, VP Emily Halverson sold 2,946 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.34, for a total value of $151,247.64. Following the sale, the vice president owned 8,253 shares of the company's stock, valued at $423,709.02. The trade was a 26.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 7,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 directly owned 18,930 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,007,454.60. This represents a 28.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 18,079 shares of company stock worth $958,700. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ALK has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. 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 report on Friday, April 25th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $49.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Barclays lifted 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. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $95.00 to $55.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $67.42.

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.

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