4,325 Shares in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Purchased by ELCO Management Co. LLC

ELCO Management Co. LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 4,325 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $280,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ALK. Friedenthal Financial bought a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the fourth quarter valued at $772,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 633,514 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $28,312,000 after purchasing an additional 24,796 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its stake in Alaska Air Group by 77.8% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 5,221 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $338,000 after buying an additional 2,284 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 20.6% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 12,773 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $827,000 after buying an additional 2,186 shares during the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Alaska Air Group news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 6,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.28, for a total value of $503,448.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 34,030 shares in the company, valued at $2,595,808.40. The trade was a 16.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 1,830 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.32, for a total value 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. This trade represents a 8.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 154,725 shares of company stock worth $11,217,263. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group lowered shares of Alaska Air Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $75.00 to $54.00 in a research note on Monday. Bank of America cut their target price on Alaska Air Group from $80.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Susquehanna cut their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $95.00 to $55.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $83.00 to $81.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $70.15.

Alaska Air Group Trading Down 6.9 %

Shares of ALK opened at $40.85 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $32.62 and a 1-year high of $78.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.39, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.37. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $62.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $57.85.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Analysts expect that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Alaska Air Group 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.