Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) Rating Increased to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Friday morning.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on ALK. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research note on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group set a $77.00 price target on Alaska Air Group and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Susquehanna boosted their price target on Alaska Air Group from $52.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Zacks Research raised Alaska Air Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $70.00 target price (up previously from $60.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research note on Monday, January 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Alaska Air Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $71.80.

Alaska Air Group Stock Up 4.1%

ALK stock opened at $50.88 on Friday. Alaska Air Group has a 52 week low of $37.63 and a 52 week high of $78.08. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $47.94 and a 200 day simple moving average of $50.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The company has a market cap of $5.90 billion, a PE ratio of 58.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 1.22.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.32. The firm had revenue of $3.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.64 billion. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 0.70% and a return on equity of 7.26%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.97 earnings per share. Alaska Air Group has set its Q1 2026 guidance at -1.500–0.500 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 3.500-6.500 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 10.8% during the 2nd 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 during the last quarter. First Pacific Financial lifted its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 5,268.0% during the second quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 10,736 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $531,000 after purchasing an additional 10,536 shares during the period. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the second quarter worth $594,000. U S Global Investors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 12.0% in the second quarter. U S Global Investors Inc. now owns 479,052 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $23,703,000 after purchasing an additional 51,492 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Summit Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Alaska Air Group in the first quarter valued at $1,192,000. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Alaska Air Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alaska Air Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 adjusted EPS beat expectations (adjusted $0.43 vs. consensus $0.11), providing an upside surprise that likely supported the rally. Alaska Air Group reports fourth quarter and full year 2025 results
• Positive Sentiment: Management issued FY2026 EPS guidance of $3.50–$6.50 and said momentum is accelerating (integration with Hawaiian Airlines cited), which gives investors a multi‑quarter thesis for earnings improvement. Alaska Air Group reports fourth quarter and full year 2025 results
• Positive Sentiment: Company and analysts are pointing to a pickup in bookings late in Q4 and management expects a “meaningful” improvement in 2026 EPS, reinforcing forward optimism. Alaska Air expects ‘meaningful’ improvement in 2026 EPS
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue grew modestly (about 2.8% y/y to $3.63B) but came in roughly flat to slightly below some estimates — a mixed top‑line print that tempers the EPS beat. Earnings snapshot / conference call
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term guidance disappointed: Q1 2026 EPS was guided to -$1.50 to -$0.50 (worse than consensus), which is a short‑term drag and heightens execution risk. Alaska Air Group reports fourth quarter and full year 2025 results
• Negative Sentiment: CEO flagged operational risks from a major winter storm that could disrupt flights and add costs — a near‑term catalyst for volatility in revenue and margins. Alaska Airlines CEO on potential impact to flights from massive winter storm
• Negative Sentiment: Management warned of fuel/refinery risks in California that could increase costs or constrain operations, a material input‑cost risk for airlines. Alaska Airlines CEO: California refineries are a big risk for us going forward
• Negative Sentiment: Detailed quarter metrics show steep year‑over‑year declines in profitability and cash balances, higher cost of sales and rising capex/liabilities — longer‑term fundamentals that could limit upside until margins recover. Q4 results: modest revenue growth, EPS beats but profitability slumps

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.