Guidance Capital Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Guidance Capital Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) by 21.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,344 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 2,278 shares during the quarter. Guidance Capital Inc.’s holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $584,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. ARGA Investment Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 8.3% in the fourth quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 1,045,102 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $67,670,000 after acquiring an additional 80,442 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust grew its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 5,283 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $342,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares during the period. SYM FINANCIAL Corp bought a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $201,000. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. increased its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 104,465 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $6,764,000 after purchasing an additional 345 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $255,000. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Alaska Air Group

In other Alaska Air Group news, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 1,830 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.32, for a total transaction of $134,175.60. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 20,286 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,487,369.52. The trade was a 8.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 91,745 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.14, for a total value of $6,526,739.30. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,638 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,468,187.32. The trade was a 81.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 137,548 shares of company stock valued at $9,513,807. 0.92% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Susquehanna raised Alaska Air Group from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and set a $95.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $58.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $81.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.86.

Alaska Air Group Stock Up 2.8 %

Shares of ALK stock opened at $75.56 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $9.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.77, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.55. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $64.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $50.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $32.62 and a 52 week high of $75.98.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.52. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 14.66% and a net margin of 3.37%. Analysts predict that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.