Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Stake Raised by Stifel Financial Corp

Stifel Financial Corp raised its stake in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) by 5.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 535,600 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 28,224 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp owned 0.42% of Alaska Air Group worth $34,680,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System boosted its position in Alaska Air Group by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 49,905 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $3,231,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 29,816 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,931,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 44.8% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 588 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 6,284 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $407,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mutual of America Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 19,229 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,245,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares during the period. 81.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ALK has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $54.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $95.00 to $55.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, UBS Group lowered Alaska Air Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $75.00 to $54.00 in a research report on Monday, April 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $65.92.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

Shares of ALK traded up $0.53 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $42.04. The stock had a trading volume of 5,357,166 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,640,969. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.61 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The company has a market capitalization of $5.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.78, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.37. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $54.11 and its 200-day moving average price is $57.94. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $32.62 and a 52 week high of $78.08.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported ($0.77) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.72) by ($0.05). Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 14.66% and a net margin of 3.37%. The business had revenue of $3.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.19 billion. On average, analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Alaska Air Group

In other 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 transaction of $503,448.00. Following the completion of 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 1,830 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.32, for a total value of $134,175.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 20,286 shares in the company, valued at $1,487,369.52. The trade was a 8.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 145,225 shares of company stock valued at $10,562,713 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

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.