Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Stock Position Trimmed by Mesirow Institutional Investment Management Inc.

Mesirow Institutional Investment Management Inc. lowered its stake in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) by 14.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 303,448 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 49,423 shares during the period. Alaska Air Group makes up approximately 1.5% of Mesirow Institutional Investment Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Mesirow Institutional Investment Management Inc. owned 0.24% of Alaska Air Group worth $19,648,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Alaska Air Group

In related news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 6,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was 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 approximately $2,595,808.40. This represents a 16.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 1,830 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 30th. The shares were 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 owns 20,286 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 145,225 shares of company stock worth $10,562,713. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $83.00 to $81.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Susquehanna cut their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $95.00 to $55.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $62.00 to $55.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $54.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Bank of America dropped their target price on Alaska Air Group from $80.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Alaska Air Group currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $65.92.

Alaska Air Group Stock Up 0.2 %

ALK traded up $0.07 during trading on Friday, reaching $41.58. 2,619,189 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,628,773. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $54.78 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $57.85. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $32.62 and a fifty-two week high of $78.08. The stock has a market cap of $5.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.61 and a quick ratio of 0.58.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported ($0.77) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.72) by ($0.05). Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 14.66%. The firm had revenue of $3.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.19 billion. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current 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.