Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Shares Sold by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP lessened its stake in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) by 7.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 376,595 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 29,716 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned 0.30% of Alaska Air Group worth $24,385,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Alaska Air Group by 44.8% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 588 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Alaska Air Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $52,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Alaska Air Group in the third quarter valued at about $59,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 61.6% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 955 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 364 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the fourth quarter worth about $76,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.90% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alaska Air Group

In other news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 6,600 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.28, for a total value of $503,448.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 34,030 shares in the company, valued at $2,595,808.40. This trade represents a 16.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 1,830 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.32, for a total transaction of $134,175.60. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 20,286 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,487,369.52. This trade represents a 8.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 53,480 shares of company stock valued at $4,035,973. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ALK has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Susquehanna dropped their price target on Alaska Air Group from $95.00 to $55.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Bank of America dropped their price target on Alaska Air Group from $80.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on Alaska Air Group from $83.00 to $81.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. 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 stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $65.92.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

Shares of Alaska Air Group stock traded up $0.64 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $43.66. 3,827,490 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,657,691. 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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $53.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $58.04. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $32.62 and a 52-week high of $78.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.31, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.37.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported ($0.77) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.72) by ($0.05). Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 14.66% and a net margin of 3.37%. The business had revenue of $3.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.19 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned ($0.92) EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 40.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current 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.