91,802 Shares in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Purchased by Wealthfront Advisers LLC

Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 91,802 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,944,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC owned 0.07% of Alaska Air Group as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings 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. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 4th quarter worth about $52,000. Pacific Center for Financial Services bought a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $45,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings 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 worth $46,000 after buying an additional 474 shares during the period. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $52,000. Institutional investors own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

ALK stock opened at $53.33 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $69.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $56.18. The stock has a market cap of $6.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.48, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.50. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $32.62 and a 1 year high of $78.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.61 and a quick ratio of 0.58.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Emily Halverson sold 1,329 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.41, for a total transaction of $85,600.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 7,150 shares in the company, valued at $460,531.50. This represents a 15.67 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 6,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.28, for a total transaction of $503,448.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 34,030 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,595,808.40. This represents a 16.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 166,618 shares of company stock worth $11,974,395 in the last three months. 0.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ALK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $81.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Susquehanna raised shares of Alaska Air Group from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and set a $95.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $77.00.

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.