Blueshift Asset Management LLC Sells 142,887 Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Blueshift Asset Management LLC lessened its stake in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) by 90.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,880 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 142,887 shares during the period. Blueshift Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $963,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ALK. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 44.8% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Pacific Center for Financial Services acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $45,000. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $52,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $52,000. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 259.3% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,175 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 848 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ALK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their price objective 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $77.54.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

Shares of Alaska Air Group stock opened at $53.96 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $6.64 billion, a PE ratio of 17.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.50. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $32.62 and a 52 week high of $78.08. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $68.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $56.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 14.66% and a net margin of 3.37%. Equities analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 1,830 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.32, for a total value of $134,175.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 20,286 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,487,369.52. This represents a 8.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 6,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.28, for a total value of $503,448.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly 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. Insiders sold a total of 154,725 shares of company stock valued at $11,217,263 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

About Alaska Air Group

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.