Insider Selling: Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) VP Sells $85,600.89 in Stock

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) VP Emily Halverson sold 1,329 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.41, for a total value of $85,600.89. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 7,150 shares in the company, valued at $460,531.50. This represents a 15.67 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

Shares of ALK opened at $66.02 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $32.62 and a 52-week high of $66.81. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $52.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $43.79. The company has a market capitalization of $8.38 billion, a PE ratio of 26.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.60.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The transportation company reported $2.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.22 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $3.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3 billion. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 12.81%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.83 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 4.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Alaska Air Group

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 5.8% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,504,583 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $262,789,000 after buying an additional 357,907 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. raised its position in Alaska Air Group by 8.0% during the second quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 2,969,295 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $119,960,000 after acquiring an additional 220,030 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 3.9% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,061,596 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $93,229,000 after purchasing an additional 78,186 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 0.4% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,593,756 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $72,054,000 after purchasing an additional 6,977 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 8.3% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,590,078 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $64,239,000 after purchasing an additional 122,325 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on ALK shares. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $60.00 to $55.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $72.00 price target on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $65.86.

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.