Muehlen Constance E. Von Sells 22,157 Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Stock

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) COO Muehlen Constance E. Von sold 22,157 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.12, for a total transaction of $1,664,433.84. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 20,026 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,504,353.12. The trade was a 52.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ALK traded up $1.31 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $76.65. 2,883,196 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,770,388. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The business’s fifty day moving average is $68.62 and its 200-day moving average is $52.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.13, a PEG ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.55. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a one year low of $32.62 and a one year high of $78.08.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last issued its earnings results 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 return on equity of 14.66% and a net margin of 3.37%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $81.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Melius raised Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $56.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Barclays increased their target price on Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Alaska Air Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.86.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ALK. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,651,876 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $883,959,000 after buying an additional 56,409 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,225,054 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $403,076,000 after purchasing an additional 56,740 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its position in Alaska Air Group by 328.7% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,649,388 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $301,048,000 after buying an additional 3,564,749 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners increased its stake in Alaska Air Group by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,460,959 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $224,121,000 after buying an additional 222,780 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. raised its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 134.0% during the 4th quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 2,134,221 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $138,191,000 after buying an additional 1,222,277 shares in the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.