Zacks Research Lifts Earnings Estimates for Alaska Air Group

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised its FY2028 EPS estimate for Alaska Air Group to $9.61 (from $9.18) but still assigns a Strong Sell rating, while the consensus full-year estimate remains a loss of ($0.22) per share.
• Multiple brokers have cut price targets recently, yet the street average rating is a Moderate Buy with a consensus target of $61.85; the stock trades near $36.97 after a quarterly EPS miss and management set Q2 2026 guidance at about -1.00 EPS.

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Zacks Research upped their FY2028 earnings per share estimates for shares of Alaska Air Group in a research note issued on Monday, May 4th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the transportation company will post earnings per share of $9.61 for the year, up from their previous estimate of $9.18. Zacks Research has a "Strong Sell" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Alaska Air Group's current full-year earnings is ($0.22) per share.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on ALK. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $68.00 to $61.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Wall Street Zen downgraded Alaska Air Group from a "sell" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Susquehanna cut their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $63.00 to $54.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $60.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Alaska Air Group has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $61.85.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

ALK stock opened at $36.97 on Tuesday. Alaska Air Group has a 1 year low of $33.03 and a 1 year high of $65.88. The company has a market cap of $4.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 69.75 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 0.43 and a quick ratio of 0.39. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $41.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $46.09.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 20th. The transportation company reported ($1.68) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.61) by ($0.07). Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 0.51% and a return on equity of 4.96%. The firm had revenue of $3.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.31 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($0.77) earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Alaska Air Group has set its Q2 2026 guidance at -1.000--1.000 EPS.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alaska Air Group

In other news, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 24,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.15, for a total value of $1,371,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 43,377 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,478,995.55. This trade represents a 35.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 5,500 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.63, for a total value of $311,465.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 30,828 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,745,789.64. This trade represents a 15.14% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 56,945 shares of company stock worth $3,204,569 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Calamos Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $270,000. Calamos Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group during the first quarter worth approximately $270,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 2.5% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 269,736 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $9,921,000 after acquiring an additional 6,706 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 399.5% in the first quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 42,060 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,584,000 after purchasing an additional 33,640 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 18,372.7% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 209,850 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $7,718,000 after purchasing an additional 208,714 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.90% of the company's stock.

About Alaska Air Group

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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