29,956 Shares in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Bought by UniSuper Management Pty Ltd

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd bought a new stake in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 29,956 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,288,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. LifeSteps Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Alaska Air Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $65,000. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its stake in Alaska Air Group by 28.4% during the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,688 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 373 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $67,000. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 4th quarter worth about $74,000. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alaska Air Group Trading Down 1.7 %

Alaska Air Group stock traded down $0.66 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $38.07. The stock had a trading volume of 3,856,214 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,219,813. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $40.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $39.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.83 billion, a PE ratio of 20.36, a P/E/G ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.60. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $30.75 and a 12 month high of $53.94.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 18th. The transportation company reported $2.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.36 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $2.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 2.14% and a return on equity of 11.97%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.00 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 4.14 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on ALK shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Susquehanna decreased their target price on Alaska Air Group from $42.00 to $41.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 16th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $49.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised Alaska Air Group from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $55.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $55.82.

Alaska Air Group Profile

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.