Brokerages Set Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Target Price at $74.86

Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) have been given a consensus rating of “Buy” by the fourteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $74.86.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Melius upgraded Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $56.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, October 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $58.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. UBS Group upped 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 note on Tuesday, January 7th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price 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.

Alaska Air Group Trading Up 2.1 %

Alaska Air Group stock opened at $75.96 on Monday. Alaska Air Group has a 1 year low of $32.62 and a 1 year high of $76.33. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $65.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $50.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.61 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The stock has a market cap of $9.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.91, a PEG ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.55.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Alaska Air Group

In other news, CEO Joseph A. Sprague sold 2,325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.38, for a total value of $149,683.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 19,340 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,245,109.20. This represents a 10.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Muehlen Constance E. Von sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.09, for a total transaction of $252,360.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 12,162 shares in the company, valued at $767,300.58. This represents a 24.75 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 137,548 shares of company stock valued at $9,513,807 in the last quarter. 0.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position in Alaska Air Group by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 29,367 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,186,000 after purchasing an additional 751 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning raised its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 5.2% in the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 51,529 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,082,000 after acquiring an additional 2,538 shares in the last quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. lifted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 952.4% in the third quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 1,105 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the period. CWM LLC lifted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 224.4% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 14,285 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $646,000 after acquiring an additional 9,882 shares during the period. Finally, Clarius Group LLC grew its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 54.0% during the 3rd quarter. Clarius Group LLC now owns 31,304 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,415,000 after acquiring an additional 10,982 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

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.