Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) is Towle & Co.’s 10th Largest Position

Towle & Co. trimmed its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) by 19.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 268,919 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 62,891 shares during the period. Alaska Air Group comprises 3.0% of Towle & Co.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Towle & Co. owned approximately 0.21% of Alaska Air Group worth $17,413,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Alaska Air Group by 44.8% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 588 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Alaska Air Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $52,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Alaska Air Group by 61.6% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 955 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 364 shares in the last quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in Alaska Air Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $76,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Alaska Air Group by 97.9% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,623 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $105,000 after purchasing an additional 803 shares in the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alaska Air Group

In other Alaska Air Group news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 6,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.28, for a total transaction of $503,448.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 34,030 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,595,808.40. The trade was a 16.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Muehlen Constance E. Von sold 22,157 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.12, for a total value of $1,664,433.84. Following 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 28,790 shares of company stock valued at $2,169,537. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ALK opened at $53.71 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $6.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.61, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.41. 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, Inc. has a 52 week low of $32.62 and a 52 week high of $78.08. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $48.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $58.43.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported ($0.77) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.72) by ($0.05). The business 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%. Alaska Air Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 40.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.92) EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $54.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. UBS Group cut Alaska Air Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $75.00 to $54.00 in a report on Monday, April 7th. Barclays cut their price target on Alaska Air Group from $62.00 to $55.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on Alaska Air Group from $83.00 to $81.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $66.83.

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.