Investors Buy Large Volume of Alaska Air Group Call Options (NYSE:ALK)

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading on Thursday. Stock traders purchased 6,142 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 111% compared to the typical daily volume of 2,916 call options.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

NYSE:ALK traded up $1.73 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $44.45. 5,592,061 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,501,065. The company has a market capitalization of $5.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.56, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.63. Alaska Air Group has a 1-year low of $30.75 and a 1-year high of $57.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.61 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The business has a 50 day moving average of $39.52 and a 200 day moving average of $37.17.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 18th. The transportation company reported ($0.92) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.85) by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $2.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.18 billion. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 14.72% and a net margin of 2.25%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($0.62) EPS. Research analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group will post 4.41 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 6,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.36, for a total transaction of $249,340.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 26,048 shares in the company, valued at $999,201.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV increased its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 215.8% in the 4th quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 761 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 520 shares during the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its stake in Alaska Air Group by 255.5% during the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 775 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 557 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its stake in Alaska Air Group by 416.4% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 568 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 458 shares in the last quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. raised its stake in Alaska Air Group by 456.1% during the third quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 912 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 748 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $41.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Melius lowered Alaska Air Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, January 8th. UBS Group started coverage on Alaska Air Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $54.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Susquehanna lowered Alaska Air Group from a "positive" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $39.00 to $40.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Alaska Air Group has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $57.44.

Alaska Air Group Company 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.