Heartland Advisors Inc. Has $7 Million Position in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Heartland Advisors Inc. cut its stake in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) by 49.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 108,100 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 104,350 shares during the period. Heartland Advisors Inc. owned 0.09% of Alaska Air Group worth $6,999,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 45.1% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,422,247 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $64,300,000 after buying an additional 442,331 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in Alaska Air Group by 360.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 49,672 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,246,000 after buying an additional 38,874 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in Alaska Air Group by 54.7% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 57,577 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,591,000 after buying an additional 20,347 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised 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 worth $49,037,000 after buying an additional 265,343 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in Alaska Air Group by 5.6% in the third 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 purchasing an additional 8,743 shares during the period. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Alaska Air Group Stock Up 3.8 %

Shares of ALK traded up $1.86 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $50.90. The company's stock had a trading volume of 744,233 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,530,242. The company has a market cap of $6.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.37. The business has a fifty day moving average of $65.33 and a 200 day moving average of $57.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $32.62 and a 1 year high of $78.08.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Joseph A. Sprague sold 9,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 9,840 shares in the company, valued at approximately $677,976. This trade represents a 49.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 22,893 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.74, for a total value of $1,733,915.82. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 31,873 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,414,061.02. The trade was a 41.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 154,725 shares of company stock worth $11,217,263. 0.92% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ALK has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group decreased their target price on Alaska Air Group from $87.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of 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. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $77.00.

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.