Muehlen Constance E. Von Sells 4,000 Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Stock

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) COO Muehlen Constance E. Von sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.09, for a total value of $252,360.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 12,162 shares in the company, valued at $767,300.58. This represents a 24.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

Shares of Alaska Air Group stock traded down $0.83 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $62.59. The company had a trading volume of 3,723,888 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,291,301. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $50.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $42.87. The stock has a market cap of $7.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.57, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $32.62 and a 12-month high of $65.62.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The transportation company reported $2.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.22 by $0.03. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 12.81%. The firm had revenue of $3.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.83 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 4.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ALK. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in Alaska Air Group by 2,087.8% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 762,889 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $34,490,000 after buying an additional 728,019 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,390,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 45.1% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,422,247 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $64,300,000 after acquiring an additional 442,331 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 5.8% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,504,583 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $262,789,000 after purchasing an additional 357,907 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mesirow Institutional Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group during the second quarter valued at $11,475,000. 81.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Alaska Air Group from $51.00 to $48.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 29th. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $72.00 price target on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Melius Research upgraded Alaska Air Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $56.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $64.00.

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.

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