Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) Coverage Initiated at BMO Capital Markets

Equities research analysts at BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage set an “outperform” rating and a $50.00 price target on the transportation company’s stock. BMO Capital Markets’ price objective indicates a potential upside of 27.51% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $70.00 price target (up from $60.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Bank of America upped their target price on Alaska Air Group from $62.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wall Street Zen lowered Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, March 21st. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $71.00 price target on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price target on Alaska Air Group from $63.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Alaska Air Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $64.82.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

NYSE ALK opened at $39.21 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $49.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $48.75. Alaska Air Group has a 12-month low of $36.68 and a 12-month high of $65.88. The company has a market capitalization of $4.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.07, a P/E/G ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.32. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 0.70% and a return on equity of 7.22%. The company had revenue of $3.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.64 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.97 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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 anticipate that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 14,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.81, for a total value of $794,745.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,106,887.95. This represents a 41.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 24,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.15, for a total transaction of $1,371,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 43,377 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,478,995.55. This trade represents a 35.62% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 56,945 shares of company stock valued at $3,204,569. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Alaska Air Group

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 2,046.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 96,932 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $6,276,000 after buying an additional 92,416 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 60.2% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,423 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $316,000 after acquiring an additional 2,414 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 81.7% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 340,258 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $16,747,000 after acquiring an additional 152,953 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 1st quarter valued at $1,318,000. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 32.9% during the 2nd quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 42,147 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,085,000 after acquiring an additional 10,443 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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 initiated coverage with an “outperform”/strong-buy stance and a $50 price target (roughly +27.5% vs. recent levels), which likely triggered buy-side flows and positive sentiment. BMO Capital initiates coverage
• Positive Sentiment: BMO research and follow-up notes highlight long-term upside based on fleet/capacity positioning and cost initiatives, reinforcing the bullish case behind the upgrade. BMO Capital sees long-term upside
• Neutral Sentiment: Management held its Q1 guidance and emphasized demand remains strong; the company is exploring a Singapore fuel-purchase plan to reduce fuel costs—this stabilizes near-term outlook but is not a guarantee of margin improvement. Alaska Air holds Q1 guide; Singapore fuel plan
• Neutral Sentiment: A recent market recap noted Alaska outperformed the broader market in the latest session, reflecting the combined impact of the BMO call and company commentary. Zacks market note
• Negative Sentiment: UBS issued a pessimistic forecast for ALK’s stock, which could pressure sentiment if other sell-side firms echo concerns. UBS forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Investors bought a large volume of put options on ALK—an indicator of increased downside hedging/speculative bearish positioning that can amplify volatility. Put option activity
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest jumped ~32% in March to ~12.93M shares (~11.4% of float), signaling heavier bearish bets that could pressure the stock or fuel short-covering volatility. (Short-interest ratio ~2.4 days based on average volume.)

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.