Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Stake Raised by Amundi

Amundi increased its holdings in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) by 188.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 65,070 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 42,501 shares during the quarter. Amundi’s holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $4,313,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 86.0% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,025 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 474 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Alaska Air Group by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 28,316 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,280,000 after buying an additional 2,858 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 54.2% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 19,147 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $866,000 after buying an additional 6,734 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 1,531,200.0% in the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 15,313 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $692,000 after acquiring an additional 15,312 shares during the period. Finally, Prospera Financial Services Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 9.8% in the third quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 7,763 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $351,000 after acquiring an additional 695 shares in the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on ALK. Citigroup upped their target price on Alaska Air Group from $63.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. UBS Group raised their target price on Alaska Air Group from $81.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Alaska Air Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $77.00.

Insider Activity at Alaska Air Group

In other news, CEO Joseph A. Sprague sold 2,325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.38, for a total transaction of $149,683.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 19,340 shares in the company, valued at $1,245,109.20. The trade was a 10.73 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 6,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.28, for a total value of $503,448.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 34,030 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,595,808.40. This represents a 16.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 162,618 shares of company stock valued at $11,722,035. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

Shares of Alaska Air Group stock opened at $53.82 on Friday. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $32.62 and a 12 month high of $78.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The stock has a market cap of $6.62 billion, a PE ratio of 17.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.50. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $68.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $56.42.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.52. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 14.66% and a net margin of 3.37%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.