Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Short Interest Update

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,970,000 shares, a decline of 7.7% from the January 15th total of 6,470,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,720,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.2 days.

Insider Transactions at Alaska Air Group

In other news, CEO Joseph A. Sprague sold 2,325 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.38, for a total transaction of $149,683.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 19,340 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,245,109.20. This represents a 10.73 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 3,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.50, for a total value of $234,950.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 21,086 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,338,961. This trade represents a 14.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 182,598 shares of company stock worth $12,912,156. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Alaska Air Group by 44.8% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 588 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Pacific Center for Financial Services acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the third quarter worth approximately $45,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 86.0% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,025 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 474 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the third quarter worth approximately $52,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $52,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.90% of the company's stock.

Alaska Air Group Stock Down 7.2 %

Alaska Air Group stock traded down $5.39 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $69.97. 3,758,952 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,785,187. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average of $69.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $53.04. Alaska Air Group has a 1-year low of $32.62 and a 1-year high of $78.08. The stock has a market cap of $8.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.94, a P/E/G ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.55.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 earnings per share 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, analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ALK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. TD Cowen boosted their target price 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. Melius raised shares of Alaska Air Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $56.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 28th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $81.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Susquehanna raised shares of Alaska Air Group from a "neutral" rating to a "positive" rating and set a $95.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $63.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Alaska Air Group has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $76.69.

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.