Oak Thistle LLC Grows Stock Position in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Oak Thistle LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) by 710.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 32,628 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 28,603 shares during the period. Oak Thistle LLC's holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $1,606,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Perkins Coie Trust Co increased its position in Alaska Air Group by 125.7% during the 1st 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 in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,065 shares during the period. KBC Group NV acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the first quarter valued at about $76,000. Finally, Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $101,000. 81.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on ALK shares. Susquehanna cut their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $95.00 to $55.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $54.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. 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 report on Friday. Bank of America cut their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $80.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Barclays increased 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $67.42.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

Alaska Air Group stock traded up $1.34 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $52.17. 3,178,067 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,758,732. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.40 billion, a PE ratio of 21.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 1.41. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $32.62 and a fifty-two week high of $78.08. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $50.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $55.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.52.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Alaska Air Group news, VP Emily Halverson sold 2,946 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.34, for a total transaction of $151,247.64. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 8,253 shares in the company, valued at approximately $423,709.02. This represents a 26.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.51, for a total value of $401,325.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 26,530 shares in the company, valued at $1,419,620.30. This represents a 22.04% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,479 shares of company stock worth $554,228 in the last quarter. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.