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

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on the company. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $71.00 target price on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Alaska Air Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. UBS Group set a $77.00 price target on shares of Alaska Air Group and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $69.00 price objective (up from $61.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $70.00 price objective (up from $60.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Monday, January 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $71.40.

Alaska Air Group Stock Down 3.3%

NYSE ALK opened at $42.36 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The company has a fifty day moving average of $51.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $50.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.69, a PEG ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.17. Alaska Air Group has a 52 week low of $37.63 and a 52 week high of $65.88.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.32. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 0.70% and a return on equity of 7.22%. The business had revenue of $3.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.97 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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. On average, analysts predict that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 24,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.15, for a total transaction of $1,371,600.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 43,377 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,478,995.55. This trade represents a 35.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Kyle B. Levine sold 2,945 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.02, for a total transaction of $176,758.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,977 shares in the company, valued at $1,259,039.54. This represents a 12.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 56,945 shares of company stock worth $3,204,569. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in ALK. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC purchased a new position in Alaska Air Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. MAI Capital Management raised its position in Alaska Air Group by 80.5% during the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 628 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 280 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 242.5% in the fourth quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 685 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 485 shares during the period. 81.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.