South Dakota Investment Council Sells 177,572 Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

South Dakota Investment Council cut its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) by 32.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 365,771 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 177,572 shares during the period. South Dakota Investment Council’s holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $23,684,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Alaska Air Group by 22.6% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,144 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $142,000 after acquiring an additional 579 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group during the third quarter worth $86,270,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 165.7% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 19,444 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $879,000 after purchasing an additional 12,126 shares during the period. Ellis Investment Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 1.4% during the third quarter. Ellis Investment Partners LLC now owns 44,928 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,031,000 after purchasing an additional 620 shares during the period. Finally, Pallas Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group during the third quarter worth $317,000. 81.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Alaska Air Group Stock Down 7.2 %

Alaska Air Group stock opened at $69.97 on Friday. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $32.62 and a fifty-two week high of $78.08. The stock has a market cap of $8.61 billion, a PE ratio of 22.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.55. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $69.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $53.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.61.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.52. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 14.66%. Research analysts predict that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on ALK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $58.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $81.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price 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. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $63.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $76.69.

Insider Activity at Alaska Air Group

In related news, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 3,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.50, for a total transaction of $234,950.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 21,086 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,338,961. This represents a 14.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Muehlen Constance E. Von sold 22,157 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 20,026 shares in the company, valued at $1,504,353.12. The trade was a 52.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 182,598 shares of company stock worth $12,912,156. 0.68% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.