Supplemental Annuity Collective Trust of NJ Acquires New Position in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Supplemental Annuity Collective Trust of NJ acquired a new stake in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 3,500 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $227,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ALK. CWM LLC increased its position in Alaska Air Group by 224.4% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 14,285 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $646,000 after buying an additional 9,882 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Alaska Air Group by 22.6% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,144 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $142,000 after purchasing an additional 579 shares in the last quarter. Jade Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in Alaska Air Group by 337.5% in the 3rd quarter. Jade Capital Advisors LLC now owns 175,000 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $7,912,000 after purchasing an additional 135,000 shares during the last quarter. Plan Group Financial LLC acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $356,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Alaska Air Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $86,270,000. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ALK has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $81.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Melius Research raised shares of Alaska Air Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $56.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Barclays increased their price target on Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Melius raised Alaska Air Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $56.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $74.86.

Alaska Air Group Stock Down 0.5 %

Alaska Air Group stock traded down $0.38 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $75.36. 1,773,185 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,767,683. The company's 50-day moving average is $68.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $52.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.61. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $32.62 and a 52-week high of $76.45. The firm has a market cap of $9.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.71, a PEG ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.55.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.52. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 14.66% and a net margin of 3.37%. On average, analysts predict that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Muehlen Constance E. Von sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.09, for a total value of $252,360.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 12,162 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $767,300.58. This represents a 24.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 800 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.89, for a total value of $51,112.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 20,286 shares in the company, valued at $1,296,072.54. This represents a 3.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 160,441 shares of company stock worth $11,247,722. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.