Insider Selling: Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) CFO Sells 22,893 Shares of Stock

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 22,893 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.74, for a total transaction of $1,733,915.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 31,873 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,414,061.02. The trade was a 41.80 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

Shares of ALK traded up $3.11 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $75.65. The stock had a trading volume of 2,296,571 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,799,872. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.61. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $67.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $51.95. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $32.62 and a fifty-two week high of $76.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.80, a PEG ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.55.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on ALK. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $63.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $58.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Susquehanna raised shares of Alaska Air Group from a "neutral" rating to a "positive" rating and set a $95.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $74.86.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 32.4% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,084,639 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $49,037,000 after purchasing an additional 265,343 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can increased its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 54.7% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 57,577 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,591,000 after acquiring an additional 20,347 shares in the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in Alaska Air Group in the 4th quarter worth $772,000. Entropy Technologies LP increased its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 358.9% in the 3rd quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 27,428 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,240,000 after acquiring an additional 21,451 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP increased its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 156.3% in the 3rd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 83,777 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $3,788,000 after acquiring an additional 51,096 shares in the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.