Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) CEO Sells $149,683.50 in Stock

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) CEO Joseph A. Sprague sold 2,325 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.38, for a total value of $149,683.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 19,340 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,245,109.20. This trade represents a 10.73 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ALK traded up $2.53 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $64.97. The company had a trading volume of 3,065,366 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,307,035. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The stock has a market cap of $8.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.60. The company's 50 day moving average price is $51.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $43.47. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $32.62 and a 52-week high of $65.62.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The transportation company reported $2.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.22 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $3.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3 billion. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 12.81% and a net margin of 2.99%. The firm's revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.83 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 4.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 2,087.8% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 762,889 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $34,490,000 after purchasing an additional 728,019 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,390,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 45.1% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,422,247 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $64,300,000 after buying an additional 442,331 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 5.8% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,504,583 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $262,789,000 after acquiring an additional 357,907 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mesirow Institutional Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $11,475,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on ALK shares. Melius Research upgraded Alaska Air Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $56.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Bank of America increased their price target on Alaska Air Group from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Citigroup increased their price target on Alaska Air Group from $63.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $72.00 price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $65.86.

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.

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