William Blair Investment Management LLC Purchases New Position in Alaska Air Group, Inc. $ALK

Key Points

• William Blair Investment Management purchased 205,362 Alaska Air Group shares worth approximately $10.7 million, acquiring a 0.18% stake. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 81.9% of the company.
• Alaska Air reported a quarterly loss of $0.92 per share, better than the $0.99 estimate, while revenue rose 9.7% year over year to $4.07 billion but slightly missed expectations. Analysts expect the company to remain unprofitable for the full year.
• CEO Benito Minicucci bought 25,000 shares for about $1 million, while analysts maintain a generally positive outlook with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $65.65 versus the stock’s $40.46 opening price.

William Blair Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 205,362 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $10,720,000. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned 0.18% of Alaska Air Group at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $606,307,000. Capital Research Global Investors increased its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 86.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 3,175,350 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $159,720,000 after purchasing an additional 1,475,350 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 19,661.8% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,235,901 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $62,166,000 after purchasing an additional 1,229,647 shares in the last quarter. Jain Global LLC bought a new position in Alaska Air Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $53,683,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 1,563.7% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,092,368 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $54,378,000 after purchasing an additional 1,026,710 shares during the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Alaska Air Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alaska Air Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CEO Benito Minicucci purchased 25,000 Alaska Air shares at an average price of $40.06, investing approximately $1 million and increasing his direct ownership by 10.8%. The sizable open-market purchase may support investor confidence that management views the selloff as an attractive entry point. Alaska Air CEO share purchase article
• Positive Sentiment: Alaska Airlines plans to add nonstop Seattle flights to Athens and Paris in 2027. The new routes expand its long-haul network and could create additional revenue opportunities while strengthening Seattle as a global gateway. Alaska Airlines Athens and Paris routes article
• Neutral Sentiment: The stock has declined about 28% over the referenced period and was down 7.1% since its latest earnings report, keeping valuation and management’s insider purchase in focus. The decline also reflects continued concerns about the airline’s earnings outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Alaska Air’s latest quarterly results showed a loss of $0.92 per share, although that was better than the $0.99 consensus estimate. Revenue increased 9.7% year over year to $4.07 billion but slightly missed expectations, and the company remained unprofitable. Analysts expect a full-year loss, indicating that the new international routes may take time to contribute meaningfully.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on ALK shares. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $62.50 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Alaska Air Group from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $69.00 target price (up from $58.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Bank of America increased their price target on Alaska Air Group from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Zacks Research raised Alaska Air Group from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $65.65.

Insider Activity at Alaska Air Group

In related news, CEO Benito Minicucci purchased 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $40.06 per share, with a total value of $1,001,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 256,582 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,278,674.92. This trade represents a 10.80% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 5,300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.67, for a total transaction of $263,251.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 25,528 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,267,975.76. This trade represents a 17.19% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Alaska Air Group Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE ALK opened at $40.46 on Monday. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $33.03 and a 12-month high of $65.88. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $48.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $45.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58. The company has a market cap of $4.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -25.77 and a beta of 1.29.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The transportation company reported ($0.92) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.99) by $0.07. Alaska Air Group had a negative net margin of 1.19% and a negative return on equity of 3.11%. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.42 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Alaska Air Group has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.000-1.000 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post -1.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alaska Air Group Company Profile

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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