Captrust Financial Advisors Invests $395,000 in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Captrust Financial Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 8,734 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $395,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Cetera Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Alaska Air Group in the first quarter worth about $227,000. CWM LLC lifted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 13.0% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,403 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $178,000 after purchasing an additional 507 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $773,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Alaska Air Group by 13.0% in the second quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,714 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $231,000 after purchasing an additional 658 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 22.3% in the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,318 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $296,000 after purchasing an additional 1,333 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.90% of the company's stock.

Alaska Air Group Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of ALK stock traded down $0.85 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $62.57. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,724,012 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,291,301. The stock has a market cap of $7.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.23, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.60. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $32.62 and a 52-week high of $65.62. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $50.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $43.01.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on ALK shares. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $70.00 target price on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Friday, November 15th. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Melius Research raised shares of 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. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Alaska Air Group currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $64.00.

Insider Activity at Alaska Air Group

In related news, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 27,362 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,739,128.72. This represents a 15.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 3,700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.50, for a total value of $234,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 21,086 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,338,961. This represents a 14.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 26,580 shares of company stock worth $1,693,569 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.68% 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.