Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Receives $57.85 Average Price Target from Analysts

Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eleven research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $56.75.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $44.00 to $51.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $54.00 price objective for the company. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $49.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th.

Alaska Air Group Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of ALK opened at $43.31 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $5.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 1.60. Alaska Air Group has a fifty-two week low of $30.75 and a fifty-two week high of $57.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.65. The business has a 50-day moving average of $41.15 and a 200 day moving average of $38.11.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 18th. The transportation company reported ($0.92) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.09) by $0.17. The company had revenue of $2.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.18 billion. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 2.34% and a return on equity of 13.54%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.62) earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group will post 4.68 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Alaska Air Group news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 6,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.36, for a total transaction of $249,340.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 26,048 shares in the company, valued at $999,201.28. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.92% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its position in Alaska Air Group by 215.8% during the fourth quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 761 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 520 shares during the period. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 255.5% during the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 775 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 557 shares during the period. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. grew its position in Alaska Air Group by 456.1% during the 3rd quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 912 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 748 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Alaska Air Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in Alaska Air Group by 63.4% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,297 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 503 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.90% 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.