Kyle B. Levine Sells 3,439 Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Stock

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) SVP Kyle B. Levine sold 3,439 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.50, for a total value of $218,376.50. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 19,479 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,236,916.50. The trade was a 15.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Alaska Air Group Trading Up 4.1 %

ALK opened at $64.97 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.20, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.60. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $52.17 and a 200 day moving average price of $43.62. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $32.62 and a 12 month high of $65.62.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The transportation company reported $2.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.22 by $0.03. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 12.81%. The firm had revenue of $3.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.83 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 4.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on ALK shares. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $60.00 to $55.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $72.00 price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $70.00 target price on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Friday, November 15th. Citigroup upped their price target on Alaska Air Group from $63.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $65.86.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group during the second quarter worth $28,000. Pacific Center for Financial Services acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $45,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 86.0% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,025 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 474 shares during the last quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. raised its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 952.4% during the 3rd quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 1,105 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the third quarter worth approximately $52,000. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.