Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twelve analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $71.80.

A number of research analysts recently commented on ALK shares. TD Cowen increased their target price on Alaska Air Group from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. UBS Group set a $77.00 price objective on Alaska Air Group and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $71.00 target price on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Zacks Research raised Alaska Air Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $62.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th.

Institutional Trading of Alaska Air Group

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ellis Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 0.5% in the third quarter. Ellis Investment Partners LLC now owns 40,885 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,035,000 after buying an additional 212 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 7.8% during the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,113 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $154,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the period. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Alaska Air Group by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 7,237 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $358,000 after acquiring an additional 232 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in Alaska Air Group by 19.9% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 1,397 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 232 shares during the period. Finally, Lesa Sroufe & Co lifted its position in Alaska Air Group by 0.7% in the third quarter. Lesa Sroufe & Co now owns 36,589 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,821,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alaska Air Group Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of ALK opened at $50.12 on Monday. Alaska Air Group has a 1-year low of $37.63 and a 1-year high of $78.08. The company has a market capitalization of $5.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.42, a P/E/G ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.49. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $47.25 and its 200 day simple moving average is $50.85.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by ($0.06). Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 8.93% and a net margin of 1.06%.The company had revenue of $3.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.75 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.25 EPS. Alaska Air Group’s quarterly revenue was up 22.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Alaska Air Group

Alaska Air Group is a publicly traded holding company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, that operates two main airlines—Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air. Through these carriers, the company offers scheduled passenger and cargo services across a network spanning the United States, Canada and Mexico. Its core business activities include domestic and international air transportation, loyalty program management under the Mileage Plan brand, and ancillary revenue streams such as baggage fees, in-flight sales and code-share partnerships with other global airlines.

The roots of Alaska Air Group trace back to the foundation of its flagship carrier, Alaska Airlines, in 1932.