Marshall Wace LLP Sells 54,242 Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Marshall Wace LLP decreased its position in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) by 4.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,052,594 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 54,242 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP owned approximately 0.83% of Alaska Air Group worth $68,155,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC boosted its position in Alaska Air Group by 328.7% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Alaska Air Group in the fourth quarter worth about $82,459,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Alaska Air Group in the 4th quarter worth $24,241,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $19,847,000. Finally, Boston Partners boosted its stake 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 worth $224,121,000 after acquiring an additional 222,780 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.90% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of 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. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $83.00 to $81.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Alaska Air Group has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $70.15.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

ALK stock traded down $1.46 during trading on Monday, hitting $43.72. The company had a trading volume of 939,887 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,583,458. The business has a 50 day moving average of $57.21 and a 200 day moving average of $58.02. The company has a current ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.33, 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.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, research analysts predict that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Alaska Air Group

In other news, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 22,893 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at $2,414,061.02. This trade represents a 41.80 % 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 business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.90, for a total transaction of $654,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 9,840 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $677,976. The trade was a 49.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 154,725 shares of company stock valued at $11,217,263. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

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.