Andrew R. Harrison Sells 6,600 Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Stock

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 6,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.28, for a total transaction of $503,448.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 34,030 shares in the company, valued at $2,595,808.40. This trade represents a 16.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

NYSE ALK opened at $71.42 on Wednesday. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $32.62 and a 12-month high of $78.08. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $69.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $54.10. The company has a market capitalization of $8.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.42, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.55. 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 results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ALK. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Alaska Air Group from $58.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target 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, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $76.69.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ALK. FMR LLC increased its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 328.7% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,649,388 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $301,048,000 after buying an additional 3,564,749 shares during the period. Hennessy Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $82,459,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. increased its stake in Alaska Air Group by 134.0% in the fourth quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 2,134,221 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $138,191,000 after acquiring an additional 1,222,277 shares during the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. raised its position in Alaska Air Group by 4,615.3% during the fourth quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 943,064 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $61,063,000 after purchasing an additional 923,064 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Candlestick Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the fourth quarter worth $51,306,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.