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

Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $71.80.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on ALK. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $65.00 price target on Alaska Air Group in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Bank of America boosted their target price on Alaska Air Group from $62.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Susquehanna upped their target price on Alaska Air Group from $52.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $71.00 price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Monday, November 3rd.

Alaska Air Group Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of ALK opened at $50.12 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.42, a PEG ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 1.22. Alaska Air Group has a twelve month low of $37.63 and a twelve month high of $78.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $47.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $50.85.

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

Institutional Trading of Alaska Air Group

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ellis Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Ellis Investment Partners LLC now owns 40,885 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,035,000 after acquiring an additional 212 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC boosted its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 7.8% during the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,113 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $154,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Alaska Air Group by 3.3% in the second quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 7,237 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $358,000 after purchasing an additional 232 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 19.9% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 1,397 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 232 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lesa Sroufe & Co lifted its position in Alaska Air Group by 0.7% during the third quarter. Lesa Sroufe & Co now owns 36,589 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,821,000 after buying an additional 242 shares during the period. 81.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Alaska Air Group Company Profile

Alaska Air Group is a publicly traded holding company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, that operates two main airlines—Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air. Through these carriers, the company offers scheduled passenger and cargo services across a network spanning the United States, Canada and Mexico. Its core business activities include domestic and international air transportation, loyalty program management under the Mileage Plan brand, and ancillary revenue streams such as baggage fees, in-flight sales and code-share partnerships with other global airlines.

The roots of Alaska Air Group trace back to the foundation of its flagship carrier, Alaska Airlines, in 1932.