Alaska Air Group Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:ALK)

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) saw some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Traders bought 6,430 call options on the company. This is an increase of 47% compared to the average daily volume of 4,360 call options.

Alaska Air Group Stock Down 1.3%

NYSE:ALK traded down $0.51 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $39.09. The stock had a trading volume of 1,169,594 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,570,091. The business’s 50 day moving average is $42.80 and its 200 day moving average is $43.27. Alaska Air Group has a fifty-two week low of $33.03 and a fifty-two week high of $60.63. The stock has a market cap of $4.36 billion, a P/E ratio of -24.86 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.51.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The transportation company reported ($0.92) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.99) by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.42 earnings per share. Alaska Air Group has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.000-1.000 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Alaska Air Group will post -2.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 5,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.67, for a total transaction of $263,251.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 25,528 shares in the company, valued at $1,267,975.76. The trade was a 17.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Benito Minicucci purchased 25,000 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was purchased 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 in the company, valued at $10,278,674.92. This represents a 10.80% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ALK. Compound Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Alaska Air Group in the second quarter worth $39,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 963.3% during the second quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 840 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 761 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 32.5% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,570 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 385 shares during the last quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $109,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $128,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Alaska Air Group

Here are the key news stories impacting Alaska Air Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Susquehanna lowered its price target to $50 from $55 but maintained a positive rating, implying substantial potential upside from recent trading levels. Alaska Air Group Stock Price Target Lowered at Susquehanna
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted Alaska Air Group as one of two transportation stocks with a favorable Earnings ESP, suggesting the company may have a chance to surpass quarterly earnings expectations. These 2 Transportation Stocks Could Beat Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Citi reiterated its sell rating on Alaska Air Group, reinforcing a cautious analyst stance even as other analysts see valuation upside. Citi Sticks to Their Sell Rating for Alaska Air
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research cut estimates across multiple periods, including Q3 2026 EPS to $0.37 from $0.91, Q4 2026 EPS to $0.01 from $0.15, and full-year 2026 EPS to a loss of $2.21 from a loss of $1.54. It also reduced FY2027 EPS to $5.65 from $6.20 and FY2028 EPS to $9.39 from $9.99, indicating weaker expected profitability and a slower earnings recovery. Q3 EPS Estimates for Alaska Air Group Cut by Zacks Research

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on ALK shares. TD Cowen reduced their target price on Alaska Air Group from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Barclays set a $52.00 price target on Alaska Air Group and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $69.00 price objective (up from $58.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Bank of America raised their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Alaska Air Group from $94.00 to $92.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $57.62.

About Alaska Air Group

Alaska Air Group, Inc is an airline holding company headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Its principal subsidiaries are Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, which provide scheduled passenger and cargo air transportation, as well as Horizon Air, a regional airline that operates flights for Alaska Airlines. The group also owns McGee Air Services, an aviation services provider.

Alaska Airlines serves destinations across Alaska, the contiguous United States, Canada, Mexico, and other locations in North America.