UBS Group Lowers Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) Price Target to $53.00

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) had its target price decreased by equities researchers at UBS Group from $60.00 to $53.00 in a research note issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the transportation company’s stock. UBS Group’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 36.32% from the company’s current price.

ALK has been the subject of a number of other research reports. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Alaska Air Group from $63.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 9th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $71.00 target price on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Friday, December 19th. Susquehanna raised their price target on Alaska Air Group from $52.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Zacks Research upgraded Alaska Air Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Alaska Air Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $66.30.

Alaska Air Group Trading Up 5.3%

Shares of NYSE ALK traded up $1.97 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $38.88. The company had a trading volume of 2,266,222 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,069,643. The stock has a market cap of $4.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.16. Alaska Air Group has a 52 week low of $36.68 and a 52 week high of $65.88. The business’s 50-day moving average is $49.61 and its 200-day moving average is $49.16. The company has a current ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.32. The company had revenue of $3.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.64 billion. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 0.70% and a return on equity of 7.22%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.97 EPS. 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 analysts expect that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alaska Air Group

In other news, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 24,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.15, for a total value of $1,371,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 43,377 shares in the company, valued at $2,478,995.55. The trade was a 35.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Kyle B. Levine sold 2,945 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.02, for a total value of $176,758.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 56,945 shares of company stock worth $3,204,569. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 valued at $6,276,000 after buying an additional 92,416 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Alaska Air Group by 60.2% in the first 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 period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in Alaska Air Group by 81.7% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 340,258 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $16,747,000 after acquiring an additional 152,953 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Alaska Air Group in the first quarter valued at $1,318,000. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH raised its position in Alaska Air Group by 32.9% in the second quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 42,147 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,085,000 after purchasing an additional 10,443 shares during the period. 81.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Alaska Air Group

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.