American Century Companies Inc. Lowers Holdings in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

American Century Companies Inc. trimmed its holdings in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) by 17.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 3,176,981 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 648,955 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $205,710,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ALK. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 44.8% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 588 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Pacific Center for Financial Services purchased a new stake in Alaska Air Group in the third quarter valued at $45,000. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in Alaska Air Group in the third quarter valued at $52,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Alaska Air Group in the fourth quarter valued at $52,000. Finally, Quarry LP boosted its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 259.3% in the third 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 last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Alaska Air Group

In related news, CEO Joseph A. Sprague sold 9,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.90, for a total transaction of $654,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 9,840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $677,976. This represents a 49.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 1,830 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.32, for a total transaction of $134,175.60. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 20,286 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,487,369.52. This represents a 8.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 154,725 shares of company stock valued at $11,217,263. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Alaska Air Group Stock Down 0.2 %

ALK opened at $52.75 on Friday. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $32.62 and a twelve month high of $78.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $67.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $57.03. The company has a market cap of $6.49 billion, a PE ratio of 17.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.50.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on ALK. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Susquehanna upgraded shares of Alaska Air Group from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and set a $95.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $83.00 to $81.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $77.00.

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.