Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Shares Sold by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. reduced its stake in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) by 12.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,908,842 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 1,743,034 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 9.70% of Alaska Air Group worth $586,153,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Perkins Coie Trust Co raised its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 125.7% during the first quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 677 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 377 shares in the last quarter. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 459.1% in the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,297 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 1,065 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV bought a new position in Alaska Air Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $76,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp grew its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 96.3% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,926 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $95,000 after acquiring an additional 945 shares during the period. 81.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on ALK shares. Susquehanna upped their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $49.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $54.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $67.83.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

ALK stock traded up $0.52 during trading on Friday, hitting $57.39. 1,606,443 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,624,386. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $34.44 and a 1 year high of $78.08. The company has a market cap of $6.62 billion, a PE ratio of 23.33, a P/E/G ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 1.45. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $51.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $54.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.49.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.65 billion. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 12.62% and a net margin of 2.33%. The business's revenue was up 27.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.55 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.06, for a total transaction of $285,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 43,335 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,472,695.10. The trade was a 10.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed 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 value of $404,472.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 18,930 shares in the company, valued at $1,007,454.60. This trade represents a 28.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 23,046 shares of company stock worth $1,242,345. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Alaska Air Group Company 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.