Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) Upgraded to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Sunday.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Citigroup lowered their target price on Alaska Air Group from $69.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $63.00 price target on Alaska Air Group in a research report on Friday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on Alaska Air Group in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $50.00 price target for the company. Raymond James Financial restated 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, Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $70.00 price objective (up from $60.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research note on Monday, January 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Alaska Air Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $64.82.

Alaska Air Group Trading Down 7.0%

ALK opened at $36.21 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 0.50 and a quick ratio of 0.46. Alaska Air Group has a fifty-two week low of $35.89 and a fifty-two week high of $65.88. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $48.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $48.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.62, a PEG ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.17.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.32. The firm had revenue of $3.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.64 billion. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 0.70% and a return on equity of 7.22%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.97 earnings per share. 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. As a group, research analysts predict that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Alaska Air Group

In related news, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 24,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief financial officer owned 43,377 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,478,995.55. This trade represents a 35.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Kyle B. Levine sold 2,945 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.02, for a total value of $176,758.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,259,039.54. The trade was a 12.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 56,945 shares of company stock valued at $3,204,569. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC bought a new position in Alaska Air Group during the third quarter worth $28,000. MAI Capital Management boosted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 80.5% during the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 628 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 280 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new stake in Alaska Air Group in the third quarter worth $34,000. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. grew its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 242.5% in the fourth quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 685 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 485 shares during the period. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Alaska Air Group

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.