Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Purchases 56,740 Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,225,054 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 56,740 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $403,076,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Alaska Air Group Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:ALK opened at $45.08 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.61 and a quick ratio of 0.58. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $32.62 and a 1 year high of $78.08. The company has a market cap of $5.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.78, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.37. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $57.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $57.91.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 expect that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $80.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. UBS Group downgraded Alaska Air Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $75.00 to $54.00 in a report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on Alaska Air Group from $80.00 to $62.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. 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, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $70.15.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Alaska Air Group news, CEO Joseph A. Sprague sold 9,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.90, for a total transaction of $654,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 91,745 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.14, for a total transaction of $6,526,739.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 20,638 shares in the company, valued at $1,468,187.32. This trade represents a 81.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 154,725 shares of company stock worth $11,217,263. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.