Northern Trust Corp Acquires 96,134 Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) by 14.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 777,330 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 96,134 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned 0.61% of Alaska Air Group worth $50,332,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in ALK. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,058,564 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $47,857,000 after buying an additional 18,233 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $59,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 633,514 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $28,312,000 after purchasing an additional 24,796 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 24.5% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,462 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $224,000 after purchasing an additional 681 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 19,753 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,279,000 after purchasing an additional 309 shares during the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alaska Air Group

In other news, COO Muehlen Constance E. Von sold 22,157 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.12, for a total value of $1,664,433.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 20,026 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,504,353.12. This trade represents a 52.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 6,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.28, for a total value of $503,448.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 28,790 shares of company stock valued at $2,169,537. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

NYSE ALK traded up $1.20 on Tuesday, hitting $54.73. 956,687 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,726,718. The business's fifty day moving average is $49.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $58.25. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $32.62 and a 12 month high of $78.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.94, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.61.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported ($0.77) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.19 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted ($0.92) earnings per share. Alaska Air Group's revenue for the quarter was up 40.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on ALK shares. Barclays cut their price target on Alaska Air Group from $62.00 to $55.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Susquehanna cut their price target on Alaska Air Group from $95.00 to $55.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Bank of America cut 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. Finally, TD Cowen upped their target price on Alaska Air Group from $54.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Alaska Air Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $65.92.

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.