Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) Cut to “Strong Sell” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) from a sell rating to a strong sell rating in a report released on Saturday morning,Wall Street Zen reports.

ALK has been the subject of several other research reports. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $46.00 price target (down from $59.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Monday, August 24th. Susquehanna increased their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $50.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $46.00 price target on Alaska Air Group in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Alaska Air Group from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $60.12.

Alaska Air Group Stock Up 3.3%

ALK stock opened at $41.86 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.66 billion, a PE ratio of -26.66 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58. Alaska Air Group has a twelve month low of $33.03 and a twelve month high of $60.63. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $44.36 and its 200-day moving average is $43.35.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The transportation company reported ($0.92) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.99) by $0.07. Alaska Air Group had a negative return on equity of 3.11% and a negative net margin of 1.19%.The business had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.09 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.42 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Alaska Air Group has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.000-1.000 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Alaska Air Group will post -1.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 5,300 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.67, for a total transaction of $263,251.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 25,528 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,267,975.76. This trade represents a 17.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Benito Minicucci acquired 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $40.06 per share, with a total value of $1,001,500.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 256,582 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,278,674.92. This represents a 10.80% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Capstone Financial Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Alaska Air Group by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Capstone Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 30,206 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,577,000 after buying an additional 1,339 shares in the last quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP increased its stake in Alaska Air Group by 1,445.3% in the second quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 87,187 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $4,551,000 after acquiring an additional 81,545 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its position in Alaska Air Group by 29.9% during the second quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 32,134 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,677,000 after purchasing an additional 7,391 shares in the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 3.6% during the second quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 503,555 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $26,286,000 after purchasing an additional 17,588 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 32.2% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 5,613 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $293,000 after purchasing an additional 1,367 shares during the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Alaska Air Group

Alaska Air Group, Inc is an airline holding company whose principal subsidiaries include Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and regional carrier Horizon Air. The company provides scheduled passenger and air cargo transportation, along with related services such as aircraft maintenance and ground handling through affiliated businesses.

Alaska Airlines serves destinations throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica and other parts of North America, while Hawaiian Airlines connects the Hawaiian Islands with the U.S.