William Blair Investment Management LLC Has $30.96 Million Stock Holdings in Alaska Air Group, Inc. $ALK

Key Points

• William Blair Investment Management LLC significantly increased its holdings in Alaska Air Group, acquiring 621,182 additional shares, bringing its total to 625,764 shares worth approximately $30.96 million.
• Analysts have varying price targets for Alaska Air Group, with JPMorgan raising its target to $96.00, while the average target is reported at $71.62, reflecting a general consensus of a "Moderate Buy" rating.
• Alaska Air Group reported a strong earnings performance with a net margin of 2.33% and revenue increase of 27.9% year-over-year, outperforming analysts' expectations for the quarter.

William Blair Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) by 13,557.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 625,764 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 621,182 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned about 0.51% of Alaska Air Group worth $30,963,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board acquired a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,235,000. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 416.3% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 30,499 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,501,000 after purchasing an additional 24,592 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 25,160 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,238,000 after purchasing an additional 713 shares during the period. KBC Group NV acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $76,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 8.9% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 971,938 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $47,839,000 after purchasing an additional 79,099 shares during the period. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ALK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Susquehanna set a $58.00 price target on shares of Alaska Air Group and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Raymond James Financial set a $68.00 price target on shares of Alaska Air Group and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $73.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, September 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $71.62.

Alaska Air Group Stock Down 0.9%

Alaska Air Group stock opened at $47.36 on Friday. 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 12-month low of $39.79 and a 12-month high of $78.08. The firm's fifty day moving average is $55.75 and its 200 day moving average is $51.74. The company has a market capitalization of $5.46 billion, a PE ratio of 19.25, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.40.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.56 by $0.22. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 2.33% and a return on equity of 12.62%. The company had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.65 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.55 EPS. Alaska Air Group's quarterly revenue was up 27.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Alaska Air Group has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 1.000-1.400 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 3.250- EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alaska Air Group

In other Alaska Air Group news, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were 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 owned 43,335 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,472,695.10. The trade was a 10.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, 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 shares were sold at an average price of $53.22, for a total transaction of $404,472.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,930 shares of the company's stock, 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. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 18,514 shares of company stock worth $1,031,306. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.

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