Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Has $1.92 Million Stock Holdings in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC cut its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) by 13.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 44,602 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 7,117 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $1,917,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of ALK. Bank of Nova Scotia raised its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 14.0% during the third quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 8,805 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $326,000 after purchasing an additional 1,083 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank raised its position in Alaska Air Group by 10.9% during the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 37,531 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,392,000 after buying an additional 3,683 shares during the period. Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group during the third quarter valued at $547,000. Jag Capital Management LLC raised its position in Alaska Air Group by 4.0% during the third quarter. Jag Capital Management LLC now owns 34,207 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,268,000 after buying an additional 1,328 shares during the period. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG raised its position in Alaska Air Group by 63.4% during the third quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 366,619 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $13,594,000 after buying an additional 142,310 shares during the period. 81.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alaska Air Group Stock Down 3.6 %

Shares of ALK traded down $1.46 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $38.83. 655,132 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,153,672. The company has a market cap of $4.93 billion, a PE ratio of 21.55, a PEG ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.60. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $42.03 and its 200-day moving average is $39.96. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $30.75 and a 52 week high of $57.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.65.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 18th. The transportation company reported ($0.92) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.09) by $0.17. The company had revenue of $2.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.18 billion. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 13.54% and a net margin of 2.34%. The firm’s revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.62) EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 4.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised Alaska Air Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. UBS Group began coverage on Alaska Air Group in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $54.00 price target on the stock. Susquehanna boosted their target price on Alaska Air Group from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on Alaska Air Group from $49.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $56.60.

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.