Shane R. Tackett Sells 5,000 Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Stock

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.56, for a total transaction of $317,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 27,362 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,739,128.72. This represents a 15.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ALK opened at $62.57 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $50.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $43.01. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $32.62 and a fifty-two week high of $65.62. The company has a market capitalization of $7.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.57.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The transportation company reported $2.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.22 by $0.03. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 12.81%. The company had revenue of $3.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.83 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 4.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the second quarter worth about $28,000. Pacific Center for Financial Services acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Alaska Air Group by 86.0% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,025 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 474 shares in the last quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. increased its stake in Alaska Air Group by 952.4% during the 3rd quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 1,105 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $52,000. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $51.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Alaska Air Group from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $72.00 price target on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Melius Research raised Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $56.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $64.00.

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.