Vanguard Group Inc. Has $883.96 Million Stake in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) by 0.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,651,876 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 56,409 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 10.75% of Alaska Air Group worth $883,959,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ALK. Hennessy Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $82,459,000. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the third quarter worth approximately $26,390,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $24,241,000. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 32.4% during the third 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 last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners raised its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,460,959 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $224,121,000 after purchasing an additional 222,780 shares during the period. 81.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

Shares of Alaska Air Group stock traded down $5.20 during trading on Thursday, hitting $45.95. 3,907,316 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,546,909. The company has a market cap of $5.64 billion, a PE ratio of 15.06, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.37. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $64.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $57.67. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $32.62 and a twelve month high of $78.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.61 and a quick ratio of 0.58.

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

Insider Activity at Alaska Air Group

In other news, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 1,830 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.32, for a total value of $134,175.60. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 20,286 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,487,369.52. The trade was a 8.27 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Joseph A. Sprague sold 9,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.90, for a total value of $654,550.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 9,840 shares in the company, valued at approximately $677,976. This trade represents a 49.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 154,725 shares of company stock valued at $11,217,263 in the last 90 days. 0.92% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. UBS Group decreased their target price on Alaska Air Group from $87.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Bank of America cut their price target on Alaska Air Group from $80.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Alaska Air Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $76.23.

Alaska Air Group 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.