Insider Selling: Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) SVP Sells 800 Shares of Stock

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.89, for a total transaction of $51,112.00. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Alaska Air Group Trading Up 1.6 %

ALK opened at $66.02 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $8.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.62, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The company’s 50 day moving average is $52.60 and its 200-day moving average is $43.79. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $32.62 and a 1-year high of $66.81.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The transportation company reported $2.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.22 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $3.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3 billion. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 12.81%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business 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 Investors Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Retirement Systems of Alabama acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the third quarter valued at about $5,066,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 633,514 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $28,312,000 after buying an additional 24,796 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $59,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,061,596 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $93,229,000 after acquiring an additional 78,186 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its position in Alaska Air Group by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,058,564 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $47,857,000 after acquiring an additional 18,233 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on ALK. 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 report on Wednesday, December 11th. Barclays raised their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $72.00 target price on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Alaska Air Group from $58.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $65.86.

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.