Alaska Air Group Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:ALK)

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Traders purchased 49,364 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 635% compared to the typical daily volume of 6,716 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on ALK shares. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $63.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.86.

Insider Transactions at Alaska Air Group

In other Alaska Air Group news, CEO Joseph A. Sprague sold 9,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.90, for a total value of $654,550.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 9,840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $677,976. This trade represents a 49.12 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 3,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.50, for a total transaction of $234,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 21,086 shares in the company, valued at $1,338,961. This trade represents a 14.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 43,973 shares of company stock valued at $2,852,892 in the last ninety days. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Alaska Air Group by 44.8% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Savant Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 6,284 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $407,000 after buying an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 10,180 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $460,000 after buying an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 9,271 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $419,000 after buying an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Greenleaf Trust raised its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 5,283 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $342,000 after buying an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

Shares of ALK opened at $72.15 on Thursday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $9.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.65, a PEG ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.54. Alaska Air Group has a 1 year low of $32.62 and a 1 year high of $72.89. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $62.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $49.06.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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, sell-side analysts predict that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 EPS 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.