Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) Given New $82.00 Price Target at UBS Group

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) had its target price increased by research analysts at UBS Group from $81.00 to $82.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the transportation company’s stock. UBS Group’s target price indicates a potential upside of 23.75% from the stock’s previous close.

ALK has been the topic of several other reports. Melius raised Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $56.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Melius Research raised Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $56.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $70.14.

Alaska Air Group Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of ALK opened at $66.26 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.54. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $57.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $46.04. Alaska Air Group has a twelve month low of $32.62 and a twelve month high of $67.73.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Emily Halverson sold 1,329 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.41, for a total value of $85,600.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 7,150 shares in the company, valued at approximately $460,531.50. This trade represents a 15.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 800 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.89, for a total value of $51,112.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 20,286 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,296,072.54. This trade represents a 3.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 34,473 shares of company stock worth $2,198,342. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Pacific Center for Financial Services acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 86.0% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,025 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 474 shares during the period. Pacifica Partners Inc. boosted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 952.4% in the third quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 1,105 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $52,000. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.