Susquehanna Has Lowered Expectations for Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) Stock Price

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) had its price target dropped by equities research analysts at Susquehanna from $95.00 to $55.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "positive" rating on the transportation company's stock. Susquehanna's price objective suggests a potential upside of 20.29% from the company's current price.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on ALK. Citigroup dropped their target price on Alaska Air Group from $83.00 to $81.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. UBS Group lowered Alaska Air Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $75.00 to $54.00 in a research note on Monday, April 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Bank of America lowered their target price 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped 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, December 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Alaska Air Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $70.15.

Alaska Air Group Stock Up 2.7 %

Alaska Air Group stock traded up $1.21 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $45.72. The stock had a trading volume of 2,310,031 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,599,517. Alaska Air Group has a 52 week low of $32.62 and a 52 week high of $78.08. The company has a market cap of $5.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.99, a PEG 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. The business's 50 day moving average price is $60.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $57.90.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 EPS 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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Joseph A. Sprague sold 9,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 9,840 shares in the company, valued at $677,976. The trade was a 49.12 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 6,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.28, for a total transaction 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 154,725 shares of company stock valued at $11,217,263 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of ALK. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 165,979 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $7,504,000 after purchasing an additional 8,743 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $395,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $230,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 66.5% during the 3rd quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 11,392 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $515,000 after buying an additional 4,550 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP grew its stake in Alaska Air Group by 259.3% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,175 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 848 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.90% of the company's stock.

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.