Blueshift Asset Management LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Blueshift Asset Management LLC lowered its stake in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) by 90.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,880 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 142,887 shares during the quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC's holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $963,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ALK. Hennessy Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Alaska Air Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $82,459,000. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,390,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 45.1% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,422,247 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $64,300,000 after purchasing an additional 442,331 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $24,241,000. Finally, FMR LLC increased 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 valued at $49,037,000 after purchasing an additional 265,343 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.90% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ALK has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $83.00 to $81.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Susquehanna upgraded Alaska Air Group from a "neutral" rating to a "positive" rating and set a $95.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Alaska Air Group currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $77.00.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other Alaska Air Group news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 6,600 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.28, for a total transaction of $503,448.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 34,030 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,595,808.40. The trade was a 16.24 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Muehlen Constance E. Von sold 22,157 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.12, for a total transaction of $1,664,433.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 20,026 shares in the company, valued at $1,504,353.12. The trade was a 52.53 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 154,725 shares of company stock valued at $11,217,263 over the last quarter. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

ALK stock traded up $1.45 during trading on Monday, reaching $54.28. The company had a trading volume of 3,424,984 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,451,687. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $32.62 and a twelve month high of $78.08. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $67.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $57.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.61. The company has a market cap of $6.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.50.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 earnings per share (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, sell-side analysts expect that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

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.