32,783 Shares in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Bought by Cerity Partners LLC

Cerity Partners LLC purchased a new position in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 32,783 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $1,281,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 12.2% in the fourth quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 2,149 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $92,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 19.9% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,811 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $105,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 4.5% in the third quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 7,663 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $284,000 after acquiring an additional 327 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 6,552 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $281,000 after acquiring an additional 348 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aspire Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 3.3% in the third quarter. Aspire Capital Advisors LLC now owns 10,847 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $402,000 after acquiring an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

Shares of Alaska Air Group stock traded up $0.57 during trading on Friday, reaching $45.01. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,135,383 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,436,116. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $39.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $37.24. The firm has a market cap of $5.66 billion, a PE ratio of 24.07, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.63. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $30.75 and a fifty-two week high of $57.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 18th. The transportation company reported ($0.92) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.09) by $0.17. The business had revenue of $2.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.18 billion. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 2.34% and a return on equity of 13.54%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.62) EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 4.41 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America lifted their price target 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Alaska Air Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $49.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Alaska Air Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $44.00 to $51.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. They set a "buy" rating and a $54.00 price objective for the company. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $57.85.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alaska Air Group

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