Susquehanna Upgrades Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) to Positive

Susquehanna upgraded shares of Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) from a neutral rating to a positive rating in a research note published on Tuesday morning, MarketBeat reports. They currently have $95.00 target price on the transportation company's stock.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Melius Research raised Alaska Air Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $56.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, October 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $58.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $60.00 to $55.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Melius raised Alaska Air Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $56.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, October 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $70.14.

Alaska Air Group Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of ALK stock traded up $1.01 on Tuesday, hitting $65.41. The stock had a trading volume of 4,309,537 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,733,109. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $8.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.54. Alaska Air Group has a 1 year low of $32.62 and a 1 year high of $67.73. The company's 50 day moving average price is $56.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $45.73.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Alaska Air Group

In other news, COO Muehlen Constance E. Von sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.09, for a total value of $252,360.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 12,162 shares of the company's stock, valued at $767,300.58. This trade represents a 24.75 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 13,880 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were 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 directly owns 20,638 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,321,038.38. This represents a 40.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 34,473 shares of company stock valued at $2,198,342 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Alaska Air Group

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Pacific Center for Financial Services acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group during the third quarter worth $45,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 474 shares during the last quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. raised its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 952.4% during the third quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 1,105 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group during the third quarter worth $52,000. 81.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.