Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Stock Holdings Increased by Louisiana State Employees Retirement System

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System boosted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) by 0.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 61,400 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $3,976,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ALK. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,061,596 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $93,229,000 after buying an additional 78,186 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in Alaska Air Group by 0.4% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,593,756 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $72,054,000 after purchasing an additional 6,977 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Alaska Air Group by 45.1% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,422,247 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $64,300,000 after purchasing an additional 442,331 shares in the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group in the 4th quarter worth about $82,459,000. Finally, FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 32.4% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,084,639 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $49,037,000 after purchasing an additional 265,343 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of 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 shares of Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $56.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $58.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.86.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alaska Air Group

In other Alaska Air Group news, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 3,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.50, for a total value of $234,950.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 21,086 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,338,961. This trade represents a 14.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Emily Halverson sold 1,329 shares of the business’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 value of $85,600.89. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 7,150 shares in the company, valued at approximately $460,531.50. This represents a 15.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 160,441 shares of company stock valued at $11,247,722 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ALK opened at $73.74 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $9.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.18, a PEG ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.55. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $67.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $51.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $32.62 and a twelve month high of $76.45.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 earnings per share 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%. Research analysts predict that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Alaska Air Group 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.