Soros Fund Management LLC Invests $11.38 Million in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Soros Fund Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 175,808 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $11,384,000. Soros Fund Management LLC owned approximately 0.14% of Alaska Air Group as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System grew its stake in Alaska Air Group by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 49,905 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $3,231,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 29,816 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,931,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 44.8% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 588 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 6,284 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $407,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mutual of America Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 19,229 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,245,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alaska Air Group

In other Alaska Air Group news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 6,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.28, for a total value of $503,448.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 34,030 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,595,808.40. The trade was a 16.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 22,893 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.74, for a total transaction of $1,733,915.82. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 31,873 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,414,061.02. This trade represents a 41.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 51,650 shares of company stock valued at $3,901,798. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ALK has been the subject of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $80.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. 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. Susquehanna cut their price target on Alaska Air Group from $95.00 to $55.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, UBS Group downgraded Alaska Air Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $75.00 to $54.00 in a research note on Monday, April 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $65.92.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

ALK stock traded up $2.53 during trading on Friday, reaching $46.93. 3,947,293 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,681,959. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $32.62 and a 1-year high of $78.08. The firm has a market cap of $5.76 billion, a PE ratio of 15.39, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.37. The company's fifty day moving average price is $51.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $57.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last posted 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). The company had revenue of $3.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.19 billion. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 14.66% and a net margin of 3.37%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 40.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.92) EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.