Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) Now Covered by Analysts at BMO Capital Markets

BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday, Marketbeat reports. The firm issued an outperform rating and a $50.00 target price on the transportation company’s stock.

ALK has been the topic of several other research reports. Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $52.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $63.00 price objective on Alaska Air Group in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Alaska Air Group from $62.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings raised Alaska Air Group from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on Alaska Air Group from $60.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $64.82.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

Shares of ALK stock opened at $38.42 on Tuesday. Alaska Air Group has a 12-month low of $36.68 and a 12-month high of $65.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 0.50 and a quick ratio of 0.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 1.17. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $49.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $48.82.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 7.22% and a net margin of 0.70%.The company had revenue of $3.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.97 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue 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, equities research analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 24,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.15, for a total value of $1,371,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 43,377 shares in the company, valued at $2,478,995.55. This represents a 35.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Kyle B. Levine sold 2,945 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.02, for a total value of $176,758.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,259,039.54. The trade was a 12.31% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 56,945 shares of company stock valued at $3,204,569. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. MAI Capital Management lifted its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 80.5% in the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 628 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 280 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 242.5% during the fourth quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 685 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 485 shares during the period. 81.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alaska Air Group News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage with an “outperform” and $50 price target, signaling fresh institutional conviction and roughly a mid-teens-to-30% upside versus current levels — a clear supportive catalyst for the shares. BMO sees long-term upside on Alaska Air
• Positive Sentiment: Company held its Q1 guidance and said demand remains strong while exploring a Singapore fuel plan to cut costs — operational stability and explicit cost actions are constructive for margins and forward earnings visibility. Alaska Air Group Holds Q1 Guide…
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS trimmed its price target from $60 to $53 but kept a “buy” rating — still implying upside but the cut reflects more cautious near-term expectations. UBS lowers price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and analyst pieces are questioning whether the recent share-price slump warrants a reassessment of ALK — useful for investors doing a valuation check but not an immediate directional driver. Is It Time To Reassess Alaska Air Group
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest jumped ~32.4% in March to ~12.93M shares (about 11.4% of shares), raising downward pressure and signaling increased bearish positioning that can amplify selling or volatility.
• Negative Sentiment: Unusual options activity showed a sharp increase in put buying (about 5,693 puts), suggesting traders are positioning for further downside or hedging — a near-term bearish signal.
• Negative Sentiment: Citigroup cut its price target to $51, lowering a previously higher expectation and adding to mixed analyst tone; multiple target trims can weigh on sentiment even if targets remain above the current price. Citigroup Cuts Alaska Air Group Price Target

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.