Franklin Resources Inc. Purchases 6,494 Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 640,008 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 6,494 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 0.50% of Alaska Air Group worth $41,440,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of ALK. FMR LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 32.4% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,084,639 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $49,037,000 after purchasing an additional 265,343 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 165,979 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $7,504,000 after acquiring an additional 8,743 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $395,000. Edgestream Partners L.P. bought a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group during the third quarter valued at $487,000. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group during the third quarter worth $230,000. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on ALK. Citigroup lowered their target price on Alaska Air Group from $83.00 to $81.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $95.00 to $55.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. TD Cowen upped their target price on Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $80.00 to $62.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $70.15.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Alaska Air Group news, CEO Joseph A. Sprague sold 9,500 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.90, for a total transaction of $654,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 9,840 shares in the company, valued at approximately $677,976. The trade was a 49.12 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 1,830 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.32, for a total value of $134,175.60. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 20,286 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,487,369.52. This trade represents a 8.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 154,725 shares of company stock worth $11,217,263. Insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Alaska Air Group Stock Down 10.0 %

Shares of NYSE ALK traded down $5.01 during trading on Thursday, hitting $45.26. 923,790 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,583,667. 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's fifty day moving average is $61.34 and its 200 day moving average is $57.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.86, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.37. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $32.62 and a fifty-two week high of $78.08.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.52. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 14.66% and a net margin of 3.37%. Equities research analysts predict that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.