U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC Sells 28,447 Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC cut its stake in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) by 59.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 19,189 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 28,447 shares during the period. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $1,242,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Hennessy Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $82,459,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 2,087.8% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 762,889 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $34,490,000 after buying an additional 728,019 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,390,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 45.1% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,422,247 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $64,300,000 after acquiring an additional 442,331 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 32.4% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,084,639 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $49,037,000 after acquiring an additional 265,343 shares in the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Alaska Air Group Trading Up 2.1 %

ALK traded up $1.55 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $75.96. 3,075,153 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,799,872. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $65.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $50.81. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $32.62 and a 1-year high of $76.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.91, a P/E/G ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 14.66% and a net margin of 3.37%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on ALK. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Alaska Air Group from $58.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $74.86.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 91,745 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 20,638 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,468,187.32. This trade represents a 81.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 1,830 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 30th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,487,369.52. This trade represents a 8.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 137,548 shares of company stock valued at $9,513,807. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.