Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) SVP Andrea L. Schneider Sells 800 Shares

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.89, for a total transaction of $51,112.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 20,286 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,296,072.54. The trade was a 3.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Alaska Air Group Stock Up 4.1 %

Shares of ALK traded up $2.53 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $64.97. 3,065,366 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,307,035. The company has a market cap of $8.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.60. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $51.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $43.47. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $32.62 and a 12-month high of $65.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $58.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Susquehanna lifted their target price on Alaska Air Group from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Melius raised Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $56.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased 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 report on Thursday, October 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Alaska Air Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $65.86.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

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

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.