Short Interest in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Rises By 5.9%

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest in April. As of April 30th, there was short interest totalling 6,620,000 shares, a growth of 5.9% from the April 15th total of 6,250,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,230,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.0 days.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alaska Air Group

In other news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 6,500 shares of Alaska Air Group 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 18,189 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $674,000 after buying an additional 365 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 17.5% in the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 6,885 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $255,000 after purchasing an additional 1,023 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in Alaska Air Group by 63.4% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,297 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 503 shares in the last quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board increased its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 8.1% during the 3rd quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 6,650 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $247,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 15.1% in the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 3,003 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $111,000 after purchasing an additional 393 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.90% of the company's stock.

Alaska Air Group Trading Up 0.0 %

Alaska Air Group stock traded up $0.01 during trading on Friday, hitting $43.29. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,686,948 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,788,397. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.15, a P/E/G ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 1.60. 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 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.65. The stock's fifty day moving average is $42.08 and its 200 day moving average is $38.69.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 18th. The transportation company reported ($0.92) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.09) by $0.17. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 13.54% and a net margin of 2.34%. The business had revenue of $2.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.18 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($0.62) EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Alaska Air Group will post 4.68 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on ALK shares. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Susquehanna raised their price target on Alaska Air Group from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. UBS Group began coverage on Alaska Air Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. They set a "buy" rating and a $54.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Alaska Air Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $44.00 to $51.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $56.60.

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.