Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Invests $555,000 in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV acquired a new stake in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 8,570 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $555,000.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Freestone Grove Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 4th quarter worth about $4,438,000. Soros Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $11,384,000. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 421.9% in the fourth quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 704,575 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $45,621,000 after purchasing an additional 569,584 shares in the last quarter. Candlestick Capital Management LP bought a new position in Alaska Air Group in the fourth quarter worth $51,306,000. Finally, Lido Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the fourth quarter worth $215,000. 81.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on ALK. Susquehanna lowered their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $95.00 to $55.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. TD Cowen increased their target price on Alaska Air Group from $54.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $80.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on Alaska Air Group from $83.00 to $81.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $65.92.

Alaska Air Group Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of Alaska Air Group stock traded up $0.73 during trading on Friday, reaching $53.71. 2,492,559 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,748,161. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $32.62 and a twelve month high of $78.08. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $48.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $58.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.61, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.41.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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). The firm had revenue of $3.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.19 billion. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 14.66%. The business's revenue was up 40.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.92) earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Alaska Air Group

In other news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 6,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.28, for a total value of $503,448.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 34,030 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,595,808.40. This represents a 16.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Muehlen Constance E. Von sold 22,157 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.12, for a total value of $1,664,433.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 20,026 shares in the company, valued at $1,504,353.12. This represents a 52.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 28,790 shares of company stock valued at $2,169,537. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.