Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC Purchases New Shares in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 16,761 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,085,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,061,596 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $93,229,000 after purchasing an additional 78,186 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 0.4% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,593,756 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $72,054,000 after buying an additional 6,977 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,432,052 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $92,725,000 after buying an additional 9,805 shares during the period. Hennessy Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $82,459,000. Finally, FMR LLC grew its stake in Alaska Air Group by 32.4% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,084,639 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $49,037,000 after acquiring an additional 265,343 shares during the period. 81.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 6,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.28, for a total transaction of $503,448.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 34,030 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,595,808.40. This trade represents a 16.24 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Kyle B. Levine sold 3,439 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.50, for a total transaction of $218,376.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 19,479 shares in the company, valued at $1,236,916.50. The trade was a 15.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 162,618 shares of company stock valued at $11,722,035 over the last quarter. 0.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Alaska Air Group Trading Up 2.3 %

Shares of ALK opened at $53.82 on Monday. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $32.62 and a 12-month high of $78.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.65, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.50. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $68.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $56.57. The company has a current ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 earnings per share 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 14.66%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on ALK. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $81.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. 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. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Susquehanna raised Alaska Air Group from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and set a $95.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $77.00.

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.