Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Strong Sell

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) from a sell rating to a strong sell rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday morning,Wall Street Zen reports.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $46.00 target price on Alaska Air Group in a report on Monday, August 24th. Bank of America increased their price target on Alaska Air Group from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $62.50 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $50.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $52.00 price objective (down from $60.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $60.12.

Alaska Air Group Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of ALK opened at $40.53 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $44.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $43.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -25.82 and a beta of 1.28. Alaska Air Group has a one year low of $33.03 and a one year high of $60.63.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The transportation company reported ($0.92) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.99) by $0.07. The business had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.09 billion. Alaska Air Group had a negative net margin of 1.19% and a negative return on equity of 3.11%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.42 earnings per share. Alaska Air Group has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.000-1.000 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group will post -1.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Alaska Air Group

In other Alaska Air Group news, CEO Benito Minicucci bought 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $40.06 per share, with a total value of $1,001,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 256,582 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,278,674.92. The trade was a 10.80% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 5,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.67, for a total transaction of $263,251.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 25,528 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,267,975.76. The trade was a 17.19% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Alaska Air Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $606,307,000. Primecap Management Co. CA purchased a new position in Alaska Air Group during the 2nd quarter worth $168,467,000. Capital Research Global Investors increased its stake in Alaska Air Group by 86.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 3,175,350 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $159,720,000 after purchasing an additional 1,475,350 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group in the second quarter valued at $34,776,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the second quarter valued at about $32,751,000. 81.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alaska Air Group Company Profile

Alaska Air Group, Inc is an airline holding company whose principal subsidiaries include Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and regional carrier Horizon Air. The company provides scheduled passenger and air cargo transportation, along with related services such as aircraft maintenance and ground handling through affiliated businesses.

Alaska Airlines serves destinations throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica and other parts of North America, while Hawaiian Airlines connects the Hawaiian Islands with the U.S.