Polianta Ltd Takes Position in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Polianta Ltd bought a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 18,000 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $885,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System grew its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 49,905 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $3,231,000 after buying an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its position in Alaska Air Group by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 29,816 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,931,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC grew its position in Alaska Air Group by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 6,284 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $407,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 19,229 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,245,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Plan Group Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Plan Group Financial LLC now owns 8,136 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $527,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on ALK. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $54.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Citigroup lowered their target price on Alaska Air Group from $83.00 to $81.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Barclays lowered their target price on Alaska Air Group from $62.00 to $55.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. UBS Group cut Alaska Air Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $75.00 to $54.00 in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their price objective 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $66.83.

Alaska Air Group Stock Up 2.7%

Shares of Alaska Air Group stock traded up $1.28 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $48.74. 2,608,284 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,849,779. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $48.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $58.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The company has a market cap of $5.98 billion, a PE ratio of 15.98, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.44. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $32.62 and a twelve month high of $78.08.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported ($0.77) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.72) by ($0.05). Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 14.66% and a net margin of 3.37%. The firm had revenue of $3.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted ($0.92) earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 40.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alaska Air Group

In other news, VP Emily Halverson sold 2,946 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 8,253 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $423,709.02. This represents a 26.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 7,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.51, for a total transaction of $401,325.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,530 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,419,620.30. This represents a 22.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 10,479 shares of company stock valued at $554,228 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

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.