Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Shares Purchased by Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,432,052 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,805 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned about 1.13% of Alaska Air Group worth $92,725,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its position 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 valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 4th quarter valued at $52,000. Pacific Center for Financial Services acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $45,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position 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 valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 474 shares during the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $52,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Alaska Air Group Trading Down 2.6 %

NYSE ALK opened at $60.59 on Monday. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $32.62 and a 1-year high of $78.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The company has a market capitalization of $7.46 billion, a PE ratio of 19.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.50. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $69.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $55.93.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.52. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 14.66%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Alaska Air Group news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 6,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.28, for a total transaction of $503,448.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 34,030 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,595,808.40. This represents a 16.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Muehlen Constance E. Von sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.09, for a total transaction of $252,360.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 12,162 shares in the company, valued at $767,300.58. The trade was a 24.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 189,198 shares of company stock valued at $13,415,604 over the last three months. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $63.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $81.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Alaska Air Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $77.00.

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.