SkyWest, Inc. (NASDAQ:SKYW) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts rate SkyWest a "Moderate Buy" — six analysts cover the stock (2 hold, 3 buy, 1 strong buy) with an average 12‑month price target of $119.80.
• SkyWest reported Q4 EPS of $2.21 (missed $2.25) but revenue of $1.02B beat estimates and rose 8.5% YoY; shares trade around $95.89 with a PE of 9.26 and market cap of $3.85B.
• Insider Wade J. Steel sold 20,629 shares (~$2.2M), reducing his stake by 21.04%; insiders own 1.5% of SkyWest while institutional investors hold about 81.3%.

Shares of SkyWest, Inc. (NASDAQ:SKYW - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the six analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $119.80.

A number of research firms have weighed in on SKYW. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on SkyWest from $122.00 to $106.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $122.00 price objective on shares of SkyWest in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of SkyWest in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of SkyWest from $112.00 to $101.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 20th.

SkyWest Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SKYW opened at $95.89 on Tuesday. SkyWest has a twelve month low of $82.14 and a twelve month high of $123.94. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The company has a market cap of $3.85 billion, a PE ratio of 9.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.63. The company's 50 day moving average is $96.63 and its 200 day moving average is $98.99.

SkyWest (NASDAQ:SKYW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The transportation company reported $2.21 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.25 by ($0.04). SkyWest had a net margin of 10.56% and a return on equity of 16.35%. The business had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $993.12 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.34 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that SkyWest will post 11.3 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at SkyWest

In other SkyWest news, insider Wade J. Steel sold 20,629 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.53, for a total value of $2,197,607.37. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 77,438 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,249,470.14. This trade represents a 21.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SkyWest

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its position in SkyWest by 480.0% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 261 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the period. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of SkyWest by 273.6% during the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 269 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in shares of SkyWest during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in SkyWest in the 3rd quarter worth about $62,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in SkyWest by 118.5% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 625 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 339 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.30% of the company's stock.

About SkyWest

SkyWest, Inc NASDAQ: SKYW is a regional airline holding company that provides air transportation services through its primary subsidiary, SkyWest Airlines. The company operates flights under capacity purchase agreements with major carriers such as United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Alaska Airlines. By specializing in regional connectivity, SkyWest links smaller communities to larger hubs using a fleet of regional jets and turboprop aircraft.

Headquartered in St. George, Utah, SkyWest oversees all aspects of its airline operations, including flight scheduling, crew training and aircraft maintenance.

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