Insider Selling: Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) CEO Sells $654,550.00 in Stock

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) CEO Joseph A. Sprague sold 9,500 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 9,840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $677,976. This trade represents a 49.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

ALK opened at $72.15 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.57. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $62.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $49.06. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a one year low of $32.62 and a one year high of $72.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.54.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.52. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 14.78% and a net margin of 3.37%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 44.8% during 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 period. Pacific Center for Financial Services acquired a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the 3rd quarter worth $45,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 86.0% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,025 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 474 shares during the last quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 952.4% in the 3rd quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 1,105 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 3rd quarter worth $52,000. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on ALK. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $81.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Citigroup raised their target price on Alaska Air Group from $63.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Melius Research upgraded Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $56.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Alaska Air Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.86.

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.