Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Sells 4,897 Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA cut its stake in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,588,859 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 4,897 shares during the quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA’s holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $102,879,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System boosted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 49,905 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,231,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 29,816 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,931,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 44.8% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 588 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 6,284 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $407,000 after buying an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mutual of America Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 19,229 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,245,000 after buying an additional 254 shares during the period. 81.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Alaska Air Group

In other news, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 22,893 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.74, for a total transaction of $1,733,915.82. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 31,873 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,414,061.02. This represents a 41.80 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Joseph A. Sprague sold 9,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.90, for a total value of $654,550.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 9,840 shares in the company, valued at approximately $677,976. This trade represents a 49.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 154,725 shares of company stock valued at $11,217,263 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on ALK. Susquehanna upgraded Alaska Air Group from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and set a $95.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target 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. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $87.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $76.23.

Alaska Air Group Stock Down 3.4 %

Shares of NYSE ALK opened at $44.39 on Friday. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $32.62 and a 12-month high of $78.08. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $64.04 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $57.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.45 billion, a PE ratio of 14.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.52. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 14.66% and a net margin of 3.37%. As a group, analysts expect that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS 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.