Andrea L. Schneider Sells 800 Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Stock

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 800 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.89, for a total transaction of $51,112.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 20,286 shares in the company, valued at $1,296,072.54. This trade represents a 3.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Alaska Air Group Trading Up 1.6 %

NYSE:ALK opened at $66.02 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $8.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.60. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a one year low of $32.62 and a one year high of $66.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.60. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $52.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $43.62.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ALK has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Alaska Air Group from $58.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $60.00 to $55.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Melius raised shares of Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $56.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $63.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $65.86.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 2,087.8% during 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 purchasing an additional 728,019 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,390,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 45.1% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,422,247 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $64,300,000 after purchasing an additional 442,331 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in 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 period. Finally, Mesirow Institutional Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the second quarter worth about $11,475,000. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.