Investors Buy High Volume of Alaska Air Group Put Options (NYSE:ALK)

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) was the target of unusually large options trading on Monday. Stock traders acquired 5,693 put options on the stock. This is an increase of 58% compared to the average daily volume of 3,592 put options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on ALK. TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $63.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $63.00 price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Friday, January 30th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $62.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $69.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Finally, Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $70.00 price target (up from $60.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $66.30.

Alaska Air Group Stock Up 4.8%

Shares of ALK opened at $38.68 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $49.41 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $48.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 0.50 and a quick ratio of 0.46. Alaska Air Group has a one year low of $36.68 and a one year high of $65.88. The company has a market cap of $4.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.46, a P/E/G ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.16.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $3.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.97 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. Research analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Alaska Air Group news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 5,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.63, for a total transaction of $311,465.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 30,828 shares in the company, valued at $1,745,789.64. This trade represents a 15.14% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 value of $176,758.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,259,039.54. This represents a 12.31% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 56,945 shares of company stock valued at $3,204,569. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. MAI Capital Management increased its position in Alaska Air Group by 80.5% during the 2nd 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 bought a new position in Alaska Air Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. lifted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 242.5% in the 4th quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 685 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

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.