1,308 Shares in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Purchased by Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 1,308 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $59,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 2.2% in the third quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 10,180 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $460,000 after buying an additional 215 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 9,271 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $419,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares during the period. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 5,938 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $268,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares in the last quarter. Coastwise Capital Group LLC increased its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 6.0% during the third quarter. Coastwise Capital Group LLC now owns 5,354 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $242,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares during the period. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 3.7% in the third quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,770 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $397,000 after purchasing an additional 309 shares in the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

ALK stock opened at $66.02 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.38 billion, a PE ratio of 26.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.60. 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 has a 50 day moving average price of $52.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $43.79. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $32.62 and a fifty-two week high of $66.81.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The transportation company reported $2.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.22 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $3.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3 billion. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 12.81% and a net margin of 2.99%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.83 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 4.3 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on ALK. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $72.00 price target on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target 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. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Susquehanna raised their target price on Alaska Air Group from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price target on Alaska Air Group from $60.00 to $55.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $65.86.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 13,880 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.01, for a total value of $888,458.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,638 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,321,038.38. This represents a 40.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.56, for a total transaction of $317,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 27,362 shares in the company, valued at $1,739,128.72. This represents a 15.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 34,473 shares of company stock valued at $2,198,342 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

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.