Alaska Air Group Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:ALK)

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading activity on Monday. Stock traders bought 10,274 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 86% compared to the typical daily volume of 5,536 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ALK has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Barclays boosted 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 reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $72.00 price target on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $60.00 to $55.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $65.86.

Alaska Air Group Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of Alaska Air Group stock traded down $0.96 on Monday, hitting $64.87. 2,379,062 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,334,303. Alaska Air Group has a 12-month low of $32.62 and a 12-month high of $67.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The company has a market cap of $8.23 billion, a PE ratio of 26.16, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $54.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $44.74.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The transportation company reported $2.25 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.83 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Alaska Air Group will post 4.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.56, for a total transaction of $317,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 27,362 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,739,128.72. This trade represents a 15.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Emily Halverson sold 1,329 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.41, for a total transaction of $85,600.89. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 7,150 shares of the company's stock, valued at $460,531.50. The trade was a 15.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 34,473 shares of company stock worth $2,198,342. 0.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ALK. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new stake in Alaska Air Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Pacific Center for Financial Services acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $45,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 86.0% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,025 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 474 shares during the last quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. boosted its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 952.4% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group during the third quarter worth $52,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.90% 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.