Russell Investments Group Ltd. Lowers Holdings in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. decreased its position in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) by 61.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 53,714 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 86,439 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.'s holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $3,478,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Friedenthal Financial bought a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the fourth quarter worth about $772,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 633,514 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $28,312,000 after buying an additional 24,796 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $52,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 77.8% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 5,221 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $338,000 after buying an additional 2,284 shares during the period. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 20.6% during the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 12,773 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $827,000 after acquiring an additional 2,186 shares in the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ALK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. 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 note on Monday, March 3rd. Bank of America decreased 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 research note on Thursday, April 3rd. UBS Group lowered shares of Alaska Air Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $75.00 to $54.00 in a report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on Alaska Air Group from $80.00 to $62.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Alaska Air Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $70.15.

Insider Activity at Alaska Air Group

In other news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 6,600 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.28, for a total transaction of $503,448.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 34,030 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,595,808.40. The trade was a 16.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Joseph A. Sprague sold 9,500 shares of the business's 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 9,840 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $677,976. This trade represents a 49.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 154,725 shares of company stock worth $11,217,263. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ALK traded up $1.25 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $44.93. 1,885,411 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,583,772. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $5.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.37. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $56.05 and a 200 day moving average of $57.93. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.52. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 14.66%. On average, analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share 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.