Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Shares Sold by Comerica Bank

Comerica Bank lessened its position in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) by 4.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 122,534 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 6,086 shares during the period. Comerica Bank’s holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $7,934,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,651,876 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $883,959,000 after acquiring an additional 56,409 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Alaska Air Group by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,225,054 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $403,076,000 after purchasing an additional 56,740 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 328.7% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,649,388 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $301,048,000 after purchasing an additional 3,564,749 shares during the period. Boston Partners increased its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,460,959 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $224,121,000 after buying an additional 222,780 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,432,052 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $92,725,000 after buying an additional 9,805 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ALK has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $80.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $54.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Susquehanna cut their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $95.00 to $55.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on Alaska Air Group from $83.00 to $81.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Alaska Air Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $65.92.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Muehlen Constance E. Von sold 22,157 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.12, for a total transaction of $1,664,433.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 20,026 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,504,353.12. This trade represents a 52.53 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 22,893 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.74, for a total transaction of $1,733,915.82. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 31,873 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,414,061.02. This trade represents a 41.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 51,650 shares of company stock valued at $3,901,798. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Alaska Air Group Stock Up 5.7 %

Shares of NYSE:ALK opened at $46.93 on Friday. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $32.62 and a 52-week high of $78.08. The stock has a market cap of $5.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.39, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.41. The business has a fifty day moving average of $51.24 and a two-hundred day moving average of $57.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported ($0.77) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.72) by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $3.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.19 billion. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 14.66%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 40.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.92) EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

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.