Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and twelve have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $73.0833.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on ALK shares. Susquehanna set a $58.00 price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $65.00 target price on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. UBS Group lowered their price target on Alaska Air Group from $90.00 to $83.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 27th. Zacks Research downgraded Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Tuesday.

Alaska Air Group Trading Up 0.5%

Alaska Air Group stock opened at $42.74 on Friday. Alaska Air Group has a one year low of $37.63 and a one year high of $78.08. The business’s fifty day moving average is $45.31 and its 200 day moving average is $50.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.96 billion, a PE ratio of 34.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.49.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $3.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.75 billion. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 8.93% and a net margin of 1.06%.Alaska Air Group’s quarterly revenue was up 22.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.25 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ALK. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC bought a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 41.1% during the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 632 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. MAI Capital Management boosted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 80.5% during the 2nd quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 628 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 280 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 43.2% during the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 838 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 253 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.