UBS Group Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) Stock Price

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) had its price objective dropped by stock analysts at UBS Group from $60.00 to $53.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the transportation company’s stock. UBS Group’s price objective points to a potential upside of 37.95% from the company’s current price.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on ALK. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $71.00 price target on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $63.00 price target on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $70.00 price objective (up from $60.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Alaska Air Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Alaska Air Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $64.82.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ALK opened at $38.42 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $49.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $48.82. Alaska Air Group has a 52 week low of $36.68 and a 52 week high of $65.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.40 billion, a PE ratio of 44.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 1.17.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.32. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 7.22% and a net margin of 0.70%.The firm had revenue of $3.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.97 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. Alaska Air Group has set its Q1 2026 guidance at -1.500–0.500 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 3.500-6.500 EPS. Analysts predict that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alaska Air Group

In other Alaska Air Group news, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 24,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.15, for a total value of $1,371,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 43,377 shares in the company, valued at $2,478,995.55. The trade was a 35.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kyle B. Levine sold 2,945 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.02, for a total transaction of $176,758.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,977 shares in the company, valued at $1,259,039.54. The trade was a 12.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 56,945 shares of company stock valued at $3,204,569 in the last quarter. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Alaska Air Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 144.3% in the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 84,257 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $4,234,000 after acquiring an additional 49,762 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 618.4% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 42,919 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,159,000 after acquiring an additional 36,945 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 38.4% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 21,024 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,058,000 after purchasing an additional 5,834 shares during the last quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. increased its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 15.1% during the fourth quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. now owns 4,746 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $241,000 after purchasing an additional 624 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 18.7% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 973,636 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $48,974,000 after purchasing an additional 153,340 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Alaska Air Group

Here are the key news stories impacting Alaska Air Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage with an “outperform” and $50 price target, signaling fresh institutional conviction and roughly a mid-teens-to-30% upside versus current levels — a clear supportive catalyst for the shares. BMO sees long-term upside on Alaska Air
• Positive Sentiment: Company held its Q1 guidance and said demand remains strong while exploring a Singapore fuel plan to cut costs — operational stability and explicit cost actions are constructive for margins and forward earnings visibility. Alaska Air Group Holds Q1 Guide…
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS trimmed its price target from $60 to $53 but kept a “buy” rating — still implying upside but the cut reflects more cautious near-term expectations. UBS lowers price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and analyst pieces are questioning whether the recent share-price slump warrants a reassessment of ALK — useful for investors doing a valuation check but not an immediate directional driver. Is It Time To Reassess Alaska Air Group
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest jumped ~32.4% in March to ~12.93M shares (about 11.4% of shares), raising downward pressure and signaling increased bearish positioning that can amplify selling or volatility.
• Negative Sentiment: Unusual options activity showed a sharp increase in put buying (about 5,693 puts), suggesting traders are positioning for further downside or hedging — a near-term bearish signal.
• Negative Sentiment: Citigroup cut its price target to $51, lowering a previously higher expectation and adding to mixed analyst tone; multiple target trims can weigh on sentiment even if targets remain above the current price. Citigroup Cuts Alaska Air Group Price Target

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.