Nkcfo LLC Decreases Stake in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Key Points

• Nkcfo LLC reduced its stake in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) by 64.7%, selling 11,000 shares and leaving them with 6,000 shares valued at $295,000.
• Insider transactions included Vice President Emily Halverson selling 2,946 shares and Executive Vice President Andrew R. Harrison selling 7,500 shares, totaling $554,228 worth of shares sold in the last ninety days.
• Alaska Air Group's stock recently saw a 2.6% increase, with current trading prices around $52.17 and a consensus analyst rating of "Moderate Buy".

Nkcfo LLC decreased its position in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) by 64.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,000 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 11,000 shares during the quarter. Nkcfo LLC's holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $295,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ALK. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,651,876 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $883,959,000 after acquiring an additional 56,409 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Alaska Air Group by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,225,054 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $403,076,000 after buying an additional 56,740 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised its stake in Alaska Air Group by 328.7% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,649,388 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $301,048,000 after buying an additional 3,564,749 shares during the period. Point72 Asset Management L.P. raised its stake in Alaska Air Group by 134.0% during the 4th quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 2,134,221 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $138,191,000 after buying an additional 1,222,277 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in Alaska Air Group by 20.2% during the 1st quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,910,364 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $94,028,000 after buying an additional 321,505 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.90% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Emily Halverson sold 2,946 shares of the firm's 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 transaction, the vice president owned 8,253 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $423,709.02. This trade represents a 26.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 7,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.22, for a total transaction of $404,472.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 18,930 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,007,454.60. The trade was a 28.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 18,079 shares of company stock worth $958,700 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on ALK. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on 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. Barclays raised their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Alaska Air Group from $49.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $54.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $80.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $67.42.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ALK traded down $0.27 during trading on Thursday, hitting $53.06. 574,131 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,252,210. The business's 50 day moving average is $50.82 and its 200-day moving average is $55.72. The company has a market capitalization of $6.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $32.62 and a 1-year high of $78.08.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.78 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.56 by $0.22. The business 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 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 posted $2.55 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

About Alaska Air Group

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.