Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) by 97.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,623 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 803 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $105,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ALK. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in Alaska Air Group by 15.9% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 4,460 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $202,000 after purchasing an additional 611 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 2.7% in the third quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 9,271 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $419,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 309 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $67,000. Finally, Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Alaska Air Group news, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 3,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.50, for a total transaction of $234,950.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 21,086 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,338,961. This trade represents a 14.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 6,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.28, for a total value of $503,448.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 34,030 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,595,808.40. This trade represents a 16.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 189,198 shares of company stock valued at $13,415,604 over the last quarter. 0.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

Shares of Alaska Air Group stock opened at $60.59 on Friday. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a one year low of $32.62 and a one year high of $78.08. The company has a market cap of $7.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.86, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.61. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $69.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $55.78.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, research analysts predict that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on ALK shares. 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 report on Monday, December 16th. Bank of America raised their target price on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Barclays raised their target price on Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. UBS Group raised their target price on Alaska Air Group from $81.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $77.00.

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.