Barclays PLC Raises Stake in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) by 11.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,179,784 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 121,220 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned 0.93% of Alaska Air Group worth $76,390,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its position in Alaska Air Group by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 49,905 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $3,231,000 after buying an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 29,816 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,931,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 44.8% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 588 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC increased its stake in Alaska Air Group by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 6,284 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $407,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mutual of America Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 19,229 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,245,000 after buying an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.90% of the company's stock.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

Shares of Alaska Air Group stock traded up $0.61 on Tuesday, reaching $44.29. The company's stock had a trading volume of 233,097 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,577,553. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The company has a market capitalization of $5.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.53, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.37. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $56.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $58.03. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $32.62 and a 52-week high of $78.08.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Analysts expect that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group downgraded Alaska Air Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their target price for the company from $75.00 to $54.00 in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Citigroup cut their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $83.00 to $81.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Bank of America dropped their target price on Alaska Air Group from $80.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $80.00 to $62.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $70.15.

Insider Activity at Alaska Air Group

In other news, CEO Joseph A. Sprague sold 9,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.90, for a total transaction of $654,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 9,840 shares of the company's stock, valued at $677,976. This represents a 49.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 1,830 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.32, for a total transaction of $134,175.60. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 20,286 shares in the company, valued at $1,487,369.52. The trade was 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 154,725 shares of company stock valued at $11,217,263. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.