Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) Issues Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.17 EPS

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The transportation company reported ($0.92) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.09) by $0.17, RTT News reports. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 2.34% and a return on equity of 13.54%. The company had revenue of $2.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.18 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.62) earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis.

Alaska Air Group Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of ALK stock opened at $45.02 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $39.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $37.22. The company has a market capitalization of $5.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.07, a PEG ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.63. Alaska Air Group has a twelve month low of $30.75 and a twelve month high of $57.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Alaska Air Group news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.36, for a total value of $249,340.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 26,048 shares in the company, valued at approximately $999,201.28. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 416.4% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 568 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 458 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 19.9% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,811 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $105,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co boosted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 19.5% during the 3rd quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 2,141 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $84,000 after buying an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC boosted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 12.2% during the 4th quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 2,149 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $92,000 after buying an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC boosted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 54.1% during the 4th quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 2,452 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $96,000 after buying an additional 861 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $49.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Melius lowered shares of Alaska Air Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 8th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Alaska Air Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Alaska Air Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $57.85.

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.