Analysts Set Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Target Price at $64.00

Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $65.86.

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $70.00 price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Friday, November 15th. Susquehanna upped their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Melius upgraded Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $56.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th.

Insider Activity at Alaska Air Group

In related news, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 800 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.89, for a total value of $51,112.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 20,286 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,296,072.54. This trade represents a 3.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Emily Halverson sold 1,329 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.41, for a total value of $85,600.89. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 7,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $460,531.50. The trade was a 15.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 34,473 shares of company stock valued at $2,198,342 over the last quarter. 0.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ALK. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Pacific Center for Financial Services bought a new position in Alaska Air Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Alaska Air Group by 86.0% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,025 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 474 shares in the last quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. grew its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 952.4% during the third quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 1,105 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group during the third quarter worth $52,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Alaska Air Group Trading Up 4.1 %

Alaska Air Group stock opened at $64.97 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $52.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $43.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.20, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.60. Alaska Air Group has a 52 week low of $32.62 and a 52 week high of $65.62.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The transportation company reported $2.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.22 by $0.03. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 12.81% and a net margin of 2.99%. The company had revenue of $3.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.83 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Alaska Air Group will post 4.3 earnings per share for the current year.

About Alaska Air Group

Alaska Air Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates airlines. It operates through three segments: Mainline, Regional, and Horizon. The company offers scheduled air transportation services on Boeing jet aircraft for passengers and cargo in the United States, and in parts of Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Belize, Guatemala, and the Bahamas; and for passengers across a shorter distance network within the United States, Canada, and Mexico.