Xponance Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Xponance Inc. raised its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) by 24.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 5,910 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 1,174 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $383,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Boston Partners increased its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,460,959 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $224,121,000 after buying an additional 222,780 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Alaska Air Group by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,061,596 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $93,229,000 after acquiring an additional 78,186 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 9,805 shares during the period. Hennessy Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $82,459,000. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 265,343 shares during the period. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Alaska Air Group

In other news, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 1,830 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.32, for a total transaction of $134,175.60. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 20,286 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,487,369.52. This represents a 8.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Joseph A. Sprague sold 9,500 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 9,840 shares in the company, valued at $677,976. This trade represents a 49.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 154,725 shares of company stock worth $11,217,263 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on ALK. Bank of America increased their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. TD Cowen increased 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 note on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $87.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Alaska Air Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $77.00.

Alaska Air Group Stock Up 0.0 %

ALK stock opened at $53.84 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.65, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.61 and a quick ratio of 0.58. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $32.62 and a 1-year high of $78.08. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $66.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $57.39.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.52. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 14.66% and a net margin of 3.37%. Equities analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.