South Dakota Investment Council Has $16.70 Million Position in Alaska Air Group, Inc. $ALK

South Dakota Investment Council boosted its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) by 24.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 335,502 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 65,765 shares during the quarter. South Dakota Investment Council owned 0.29% of Alaska Air Group worth $16,701,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of ALK. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Alaska Air Group by 2,046.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 96,932 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $6,276,000 after purchasing an additional 92,416 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Alaska Air Group by 60.2% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,423 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $316,000 after acquiring an additional 2,414 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 81.7% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 340,258 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $16,747,000 after purchasing an additional 152,953 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,318,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. grew its position in Alaska Air Group by 2,162.3% in the 2nd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,380 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 1,319 shares during the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Alaska Air Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $70.00 price target (up from $60.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $71.00 price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Alaska Air Group from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $71.40.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Alaska Air Group news, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 24,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.15, for a total transaction of $1,371,600.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 43,377 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,478,995.55. This represents a 35.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kyle B. Levine sold 2,945 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.02, for a total transaction of $176,758.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,977 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,259,039.54. The trade was a 12.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 56,945 shares of company stock worth $3,204,569. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

NYSE ALK opened at $50.84 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $52.21 and its 200-day moving average is $51.00. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $37.63 and a 12-month high of $73.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The company has a market capitalization of $5.83 billion, a PE ratio of 58.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 1.16.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.32. The business had revenue of $3.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.64 billion. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 7.22% and a net margin of 0.70%.Alaska Air Group’s quarterly revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.97 earnings per share. Alaska Air Group has set its Q1 2026 guidance at -1.500–0.500 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 3.500-6.500 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alaska Air Group Profile

Alaska Air Group is a publicly traded holding company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, that operates two main airlines—Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air. Through these carriers, the company offers scheduled passenger and cargo services across a network spanning the United States, Canada and Mexico. Its core business activities include domestic and international air transportation, loyalty program management under the Mileage Plan brand, and ancillary revenue streams such as baggage fees, in-flight sales and code-share partnerships with other global airlines.

The roots of Alaska Air Group trace back to the foundation of its flagship carrier, Alaska Airlines, in 1932.