Bank of Montreal Can Sells 27,589 Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Bank of Montreal Can decreased its position in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) by 47.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 29,988 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 27,589 shares during the quarter. Bank of Montreal Can's holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $1,942,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cerity Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 50,809 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $3,134,000 after buying an additional 1,137 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 328.7% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,649,388 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $301,048,000 after acquiring an additional 3,564,749 shares during the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its position in Alaska Air Group by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 4,764 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $308,000 after acquiring an additional 550 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the fourth quarter worth $331,000. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd raised its position in Alaska Air Group by 158.1% in the fourth quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 18,293 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,185,000 after purchasing an additional 11,205 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.90% of the company's stock.

Alaska Air Group Stock Up 1.0 %

NYSE ALK traded up $0.43 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $45.08. The company had a trading volume of 2,267,011 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,589,886. The firm's 50 day moving average is $57.21 and its 200 day moving average is $57.91. The company has a market capitalization of $5.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.78, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.37. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $32.62 and a fifty-two week 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.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Alaska Air Group

In other Alaska Air Group news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 91,745 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.14, for a total transaction of $6,526,739.30. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 20,638 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,468,187.32. The trade was a 81.64 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 1,830 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 20,286 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,487,369.52. The trade was a 8.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 154,725 shares of company stock valued at $11,217,263 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on ALK shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $80.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. UBS Group lowered shares of Alaska Air Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $75.00 to $54.00 in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Alaska Air Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $70.15.

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.