Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) Price Target Raised to $79.00 at The Goldman Sachs Group

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by The Goldman Sachs Group from $70.00 to $79.00 in a research note released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The Goldman Sachs Group currently has a buy rating on the transportation company's stock.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on ALK. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Barclays lifted their target price on Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $81.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $63.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Alaska Air Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $70.79.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ALK traded up $1.05 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $67.52. 2,630,922 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,750,326. The company's 50 day moving average is $58.86 and its 200 day moving average is $46.62. Alaska Air Group has a one year low of $32.62 and a one year high of $69.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.57 billion, a PE ratio of 27.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.54.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The transportation company reported $2.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.22 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $3.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3 billion. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 12.81% and a net margin of 2.99%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.83 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group will post 4.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Alaska Air Group news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 13,880 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.01, for a total value of $888,458.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 20,638 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,321,038.38. This trade represents a 40.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.89, for a total transaction of $51,112.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 20,286 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,296,072.54. This trade represents a 3.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 34,473 shares of company stock worth $2,198,342 in the last three months. 0.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Alaska Air Group

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ALK. Choreo LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the second quarter worth $281,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Alaska Air Group by 5.8% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,504,583 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $262,789,000 after acquiring an additional 357,907 shares during the period. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC grew its stake in Alaska Air Group by 12.4% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 27,385 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,106,000 after purchasing an additional 3,013 shares during the last quarter. First Washington CORP increased its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 11.5% in the second quarter. First Washington CORP now owns 146,062 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $5,901,000 after purchasing an additional 15,110 shares during the period. Finally, Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 17.5% in the second quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 178,466 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $7,210,000 after purchasing an additional 26,601 shares during the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.