Vanguard Group Inc. Has $556.29 Million Position in Alaska Air Group, Inc. $ALK

Key Points

• Vanguard Group increased its stake in Alaska Air Group to 11,059,404 shares—about 9.53% of the company—valued at roughly $556.29 million after adding 110,628 shares in Q4.
• Alaska Air reported Q1 EPS of ($1.68), missing estimates and set Q2 guidance at -1.00 EPS; shares trade near $36.97 (52-week range $33.03–$65.88).
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but the consensus is a Moderate Buy with a $61.85 price target, even as several firms have recently cut ratings or targets.

Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,059,404 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 110,628 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 9.53% of Alaska Air Group worth $556,288,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ALK. Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 40.1% in the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 173,610 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $8,642,000 after acquiring an additional 49,663 shares during the period. Generate Investment Management Ltd bought a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the fourth quarter valued at $40,240,000. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the third quarter valued at $4,194,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 29.1% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 206,172 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $10,263,000 after purchasing an additional 46,445 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CM Management LLC bought a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the third quarter worth about $1,244,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ALK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Alaska Air Group from $68.00 to $61.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Citigroup lowered Alaska Air Group from a "buy" rating to a "sell" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $51.00 to $32.00 in a research note on Friday. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $54.00 target price (up from $53.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Alaska Air Group from $42.50 to $55.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research cut Alaska Air Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Alaska Air Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $61.85.

Insider Transactions at Alaska Air Group

In other news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 5,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.63, for a total value of $311,465.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 30,828 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,745,789.64. The trade was a 15.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kyle B. Levine sold 2,945 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.02, for a total value of $176,758.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,977 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,259,039.54. This represents a 12.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 56,945 shares of company stock valued at $3,204,569 in the last ninety days. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

Shares of ALK opened at $36.97 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. The business's 50 day moving average price is $41.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $46.09. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $33.03 and a 52 week high of $65.88. The stock has a market cap of $4.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 69.75 and a beta of 1.25.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 20th. The transportation company reported ($1.68) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.61) by ($0.07). Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 4.96% and a net margin of 0.51%.The company had revenue of $3.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.31 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.77) earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Alaska Air Group has set its Q2 2026 guidance at -1.000--1.000 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post -0.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Alaska Air Group

Alaska Air Group is a publicly traded holding company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, that operates two main airlines—Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air. Through these carriers, the company offers scheduled passenger and cargo services across a network spanning the United States, Canada and Mexico. Its core business activities include domestic and international air transportation, loyalty program management under the Mileage Plan brand, and ancillary revenue streams such as baggage fees, in-flight sales and code-share partnerships with other global airlines.

The roots of Alaska Air Group trace back to the foundation of its flagship carrier, Alaska Airlines, in 1932.

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