Ethic Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in Alaska Air Group, Inc. $ALK

Ethic Inc. trimmed its position in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) by 30.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,663 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 3,378 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.’s holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $378,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 8.1% in the second quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 203,227 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $10,056,000 after acquiring an additional 15,301 shares in the last quarter. Privium Fund Management UK Ltd bought a new stake in Alaska Air Group in the second quarter worth $716,000. William Blair Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 13,557.0% in the second quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 625,764 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $30,963,000 after acquiring an additional 621,182 shares in the last quarter. Lesa Sroufe & Co boosted its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 2.4% in the second quarter. Lesa Sroufe & Co now owns 36,347 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,798,000 after acquiring an additional 864 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 10.8% in the second quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 123,947 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $6,133,000 after acquiring an additional 12,041 shares in the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alaska Air Group Stock Down 2.9%

Alaska Air Group stock opened at $41.75 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $4.81 billion, a PE ratio of 33.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.52. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a one year low of $39.79 and a one year high of $78.08. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $54.05 and a 200 day moving average of $51.80.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $3.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.75 billion. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 1.06% and a return on equity of 8.93%. The firm’s revenue was up 22.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.25 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on ALK shares. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Alaska Air Group from $73.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 12th. Susquehanna set a $58.00 price target on Alaska Air Group and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on Alaska Air Group from $90.00 to $83.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $73.55.

Insider Transactions at Alaska Air Group

In other Alaska Air Group news, SVP Kyle B. Levine sold 5,914 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.75, for a total value of $341,533.50. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 20,917 shares in the company, valued at $1,207,956.75. This represents a 22.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.06, for a total value of $285,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 43,335 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,472,695.10. The trade was a 10.34% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

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.