Joseph A. Sprague Sells 9,500 Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Stock

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) CEO Joseph A. Sprague sold 9,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.90, for a total transaction of $654,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 9,840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $677,976. The trade was a 49.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Alaska Air Group Stock Up 1.4 %

ALK stock opened at $71.41 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $9.07 billion, a PE ratio of 23.41, a P/E/G ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.60. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $62.48 and its 200 day moving average is $48.90. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a one year low of $32.62 and a one year high of $71.70.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.52. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 14.78%. On average, research analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ALK shares. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $58.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. 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. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $74.86.

Institutional Trading of Alaska Air Group

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 44.8% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 588 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the period. Pacific Center for Financial Services acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the third quarter valued at about $45,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 474 shares during the period. Pacifica Partners Inc. grew its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 952.4% in the third quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 1,105 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Alaska Air Group Company 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.