Traders Purchase High Volume of Call Options on Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK)

Key Points

• Unusual options activity was seen in Alaska Air Group, with traders buying 11,786 call options on Friday — about 89% above the stock’s normal daily call volume.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but generally constructive, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $67.12. Recent moves included target increases from Susquehanna and TD Cowen, though Citigroup still has a sell rating.
• ALK shares fell 1.0% to $49.65, while the company’s latest earnings missed estimates and it guided for Q2 2026 EPS of -1.00. Institutional ownership remains high at 81.9%.

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) saw some unusual options trading on Friday. Stock traders acquired 11,786 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 89% compared to the typical daily volume of 6,233 call options.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. First Command Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in Alaska Air Group by 242.5% during the 4th quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 685 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 485 shares in the last quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 963.3% in the 2nd quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 840 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 761 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 30.4% in the 4th quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 910 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its position in Alaska Air Group by 32.5% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,570 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 385 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ALK. Evercore set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Susquehanna increased their price target on Alaska Air Group from $50.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Zacks Research upgraded Alaska Air Group from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $59.00 price objective (up from $51.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a "sell" rating and issued a $47.00 price objective (up from $32.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Friday, June 26th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $67.12.

Alaska Air Group Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of ALK traded down $0.49 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $49.65. The stock had a trading volume of 945,973 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,966,624. The company has a market cap of $5.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 93.73 and a beta of 1.28. Alaska Air Group has a 52 week low of $33.03 and a 52 week high of $65.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $44.89 and a 200 day moving average of $46.17.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 20th. The transportation company reported ($1.68) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.61) by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $3.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.31 billion. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 0.51% and a return on equity of 4.96%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.77) EPS. Alaska Air Group has set its Q2 2026 guidance at -1.000--1.000 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Alaska Air Group will post -0.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alaska Air Group Company Profile

Alaska Air Group is a publicly traded holding company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, that operates two main airlines—Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air. Through these carriers, the company offers scheduled passenger and cargo services across a network spanning the United States, Canada and Mexico. Its core business activities include domestic and international air transportation, loyalty program management under the Mileage Plan brand, and ancillary revenue streams such as baggage fees, in-flight sales and code-share partnerships with other global airlines.

The roots of Alaska Air Group trace back to the foundation of its flagship carrier, Alaska Airlines, in 1932.

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