AXQ Capital LP Purchases New Shares in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

AXQ Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 13,386 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $867,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ALK. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 28,316 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,280,000 after purchasing an additional 2,858 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 54.2% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 19,147 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $866,000 after purchasing an additional 6,734 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC boosted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 1,531,200.0% during the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 15,313 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $692,000 after acquiring an additional 15,312 shares during the last quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc boosted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 9.8% during the 3rd quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 7,763 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $351,000 after acquiring an additional 695 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,593,756 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $72,054,000 after acquiring an additional 6,977 shares during the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alaska Air Group Trading Down 0.2 %

Alaska Air Group stock opened at $52.75 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $67.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $56.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.61 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.49 billion, a PE ratio of 17.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.50. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $32.62 and a 12-month high of $78.08.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.52. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 14.66%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on ALK. Susquehanna upgraded shares of Alaska Air Group from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and set a $95.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $77.00.

Insider Activity at Alaska Air Group

In related news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 6,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.28, for a total transaction of $503,448.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 34,030 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,595,808.40. This represents a 16.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Joseph A. Sprague sold 9,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.90, for a total transaction of $654,550.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 9,840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $677,976. This represents a 49.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 154,725 shares of company stock valued at $11,217,263 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

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.