Boston Partners Boosts Stock Holdings in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Boston Partners increased its position in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) by 6.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,460,959 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 222,780 shares during the period. Boston Partners’ holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $224,121,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ALK. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 44.8% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 588 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Pacific Center for Financial Services purchased a new position in Alaska Air Group in the third quarter valued at about $45,000. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in Alaska Air Group in the third quarter valued at about $52,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Alaska Air Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $52,000. Finally, Quarry LP increased its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 259.3% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,175 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 848 shares in the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alaska Air Group

In other news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 91,745 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.14, for a total value of $6,526,739.30. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 20,638 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,468,187.32. This trade represents a 81.64 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.89, for a total transaction of $51,112.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 20,286 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,296,072.54. This represents a 3.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 155,525 shares of company stock worth $11,268,375 in the last quarter. 0.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Alaska Air Group Stock Down 5.2 %

Shares of NYSE ALK opened at $52.27 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $6.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.50. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $68.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $56.82. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $32.62 and a 1 year high of $78.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.61.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Susquehanna upgraded shares of Alaska Air Group from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and set a $95.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $81.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $77.54.

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.