EAM Investors LLC Invests $4.43 Million in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

EAM Investors LLC bought a new stake in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 68,360 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,426,000.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 44.8% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 588 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Alaska Air Group in the fourth quarter worth $52,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Alaska Air Group by 61.6% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 955 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 364 shares in the last quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in Alaska Air Group in the fourth quarter valued at $76,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the third quarter valued at about $59,000. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $80.00 to $62.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Susquehanna reduced their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $95.00 to $55.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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 note on Monday, March 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $70.15.

Alaska Air Group Stock Up 1.8 %

NYSE ALK opened at $45.83 on Wednesday. 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 $5.63 billion, a PE ratio of 15.03, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.37. 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 business’s 50-day moving average is $58.99 and its 200 day moving average is $57.91.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last posted its earnings results 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 return on equity of 14.66% and a net margin of 3.37%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Alaska Air Group

In related news, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 1,830 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.32, for a total transaction of $134,175.60. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 20,286 shares in the company, valued at $1,487,369.52. The trade was a 8.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Joseph A. Sprague sold 9,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.90, for a total value of $654,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 9,840 shares in the company, valued at approximately $677,976. The trade was a 49.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 154,725 shares of company stock worth $11,217,263 over the last 90 days. 0.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Alaska Air Group

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.