Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC Invests $435,000 in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 6,725 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $435,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 44.8% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 588 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Alaska Air Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group during the third quarter worth approximately $59,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Alaska Air Group by 61.6% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 955 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 364 shares during the period. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in Alaska Air Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $76,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ALK has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group downgraded Alaska Air Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $75.00 to $54.00 in a report on Monday, April 7th. Bank of America dropped their price target on Alaska Air Group from $80.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Barclays reduced their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $62.00 to $55.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $83.00 to $81.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $65.92.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alaska Air Group

In other Alaska Air Group news, COO Muehlen Constance E. Von sold 22,157 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.12, for a total transaction of $1,664,433.84. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 20,026 shares in the company, valued at $1,504,353.12. This represents a 52.53 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 6,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.28, for a total transaction of $503,448.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 34,030 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,595,808.40. The trade was a 16.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 51,650 shares of company stock worth $3,901,798 in the last 90 days. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Alaska Air Group Stock Up 3.5 %

Shares of NYSE ALK traded up $1.65 during trading on Monday, reaching $48.64. 4,251,926 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,691,532. The company has a market capitalization of $5.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.41. The business's 50-day moving average price is $51.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $58.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. 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 data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported ($0.77) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.72) by ($0.05). Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 14.66%. The firm had revenue of $3.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.92) earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 40.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.