Cerity Partners LLC Boosts Stake in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) by 360.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 49,672 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 38,874 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $2,246,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ALK. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 5.6% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 69,382 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,983,000 after buying an additional 3,652 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 211.7% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 47,770 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,054,000 after purchasing an additional 32,442 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group during the first quarter valued at about $227,000. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky boosted its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 59.6% during the first quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 43,095 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,852,000 after purchasing an additional 16,092 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Transcend Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Alaska Air Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $408,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Barclays upped their target price on Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $51.00 to $48.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Melius Research upgraded Alaska Air Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $56.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $52.00 to $50.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $58.69.

Alaska Air Group Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of ALK traded up $0.55 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $53.15. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,640,755 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,238,195. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $32.00 and a 52 week high of $54.14. The stock has a market cap of $6.75 billion, a PE ratio of 21.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.59. The company's fifty day moving average price is $47.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $41.99. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.83 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 4.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.