Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) from a strong sell rating to a sell rating in a research note released on Thursday.

ALK has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Alaska Air Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Alaska Air Group from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Alaska Air Group from $47.00 to $37.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Susquehanna increased their price target on Alaska Air Group from $50.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $59.00 price target (up from $51.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $65.65.

Alaska Air Group Stock Down 3.4%

Shares of NYSE ALK opened at $45.88 on Thursday. Alaska Air Group has a 52-week low of $33.03 and a 52-week high of $65.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market cap of $5.11 billion, a P/E ratio of -29.22 and a beta of 1.29. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $48.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $45.76.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The transportation company reported ($0.92) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.99) by $0.07. The company had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.09 billion. Alaska Air Group had a negative net margin of 1.19% and a negative return on equity of 3.11%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.42 earnings per share. Alaska Air Group has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.000-1.000 EPS. Analysts expect that Alaska Air Group will post -0.9 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Alaska Air Group

In related news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 5,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.67, for a total transaction of $263,251.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 25,528 shares in the company, valued at $1,267,975.76. This trade represents a 17.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ALK. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. First Command Advisory Services Inc. raised its position in Alaska Air Group by 242.5% in the 4th quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 685 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Compound Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Alaska Air Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 963.3% in the 2nd quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 840 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 761 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 30.4% in the 4th quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 910 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 212 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Alaska Air Group

Here are the key news stories impacting Alaska Air Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised its Q3 2026 EPS estimate to $0.91 from $0.40 and its Q4 2026 forecast to $0.15 from a projected loss of $0.38. The firm also improved its FY2026 forecast to a loss of $1.54 per share, compared with its prior estimate of a $2.54 loss. Zacks Research Alaska Air Group estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Some later-period estimates were increased, including Q4 2027 EPS to $1.80 from $1.52, Q1 2028 EPS to $2.60 from $1.06, and Q2 2028 EPS to $2.17 from $1.87. These changes point to expectations for stronger earnings beyond 2026. Zacks Research forecast for Alaska Air Group earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks maintained a Hold rating on Alaska Air Group. Its revised forecasts remain uneven, with a current-year loss expected and profitability dependent on improvement in subsequent quarters.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks reduced its Q1 2027 EPS estimate to $0.52 from $0.74, Q3 2027 to $1.94 from $2.34, and FY2027 to $6.20 from $6.31. The cuts temper the positive impact of the upgraded 2026 estimates and signal concern about the pace or durability of the recovery.
• Neutral Sentiment: A separate August 14 article discusses earnings forecasts for ALK, but the provided information does not include additional estimates or a new analyst rating.
• Neutral Sentiment: An article about tree-pollen and house-dust-mite allergy tablets recommended by the U.K.’s NICE concerns ALK-Abelló A/S (Nasdaq Copenhagen: ALK B), not Alaska Air Group. It is therefore not relevant to Alaska Air Group’s stock.

Alaska Air Group Company 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.