WINTON GROUP Ltd Raises Stock Holdings in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

WINTON GROUP Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) by 148.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 128,939 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 77,134 shares during the quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd owned approximately 0.10% of Alaska Air Group worth $8,349,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Hennessy Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $82,459,000. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new stake in Alaska Air Group in the third quarter valued at about $26,390,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 45.1% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,422,247 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $64,300,000 after buying an additional 442,331 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $24,241,000. Finally, FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 32.4% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,084,639 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $49,037,000 after acquiring an additional 265,343 shares during the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Alaska Air Group

In other Alaska Air Group news, COO Muehlen Constance E. Von sold 22,157 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.12, for a total value of $1,664,433.84. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 20,026 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,504,353.12. This represents a 52.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 91,745 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.14, for a total value of $6,526,739.30. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 20,638 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,468,187.32. This trade represents a 81.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 154,725 shares of company stock valued at $11,217,263. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on ALK shares. 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 report on Wednesday, December 11th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $87.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Bank of America lifted their target price 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. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on Alaska Air Group from $83.00 to $81.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Alaska Air Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $77.00.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

ALK stock opened at $53.84 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $66.69 and a 200 day simple moving average of $57.39. The company has a market capitalization of $6.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.65, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.50. 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, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $32.62 and a fifty-two week high of $78.08.

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

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.