Legal & General Group Plc Sells 5,561 Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Legal & General Group Plc decreased its position in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) by 2.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 258,458 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 5,561 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc owned 0.20% of Alaska Air Group worth $16,735,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ALK. FMR LLC increased its position in Alaska Air Group by 328.7% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,649,388 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $301,048,000 after acquiring an additional 3,564,749 shares during the period. Hennessy Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 4th quarter worth about $82,459,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $24,241,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $19,847,000. Finally, Boston Partners grew its position in Alaska Air Group by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,460,959 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $224,121,000 after buying an additional 222,780 shares in the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Barclays lowered their price target on Alaska Air Group from $80.00 to $62.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Susquehanna lowered their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $95.00 to $55.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $80.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $70.15.

Insider Transactions at Alaska Air Group

In related news, CEO Joseph A. Sprague sold 9,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.90, for a total value of $654,550.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 9,840 shares in the company, valued at $677,976. This trade represents a 49.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 1,830 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 30th. The stock was 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 154,725 shares of company stock worth $11,217,263 in the last quarter. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Alaska Air Group Trading Up 1.0 %

ALK stock traded up $0.43 during trading on Friday, hitting $45.08. The company had a trading volume of 2,267,011 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,592,068. The stock has a market cap of $5.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.78, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $57.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $57.82. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $32.62 and a 12 month high of $78.08.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 predict that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share 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.