Head-To-Head Survey: Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) vs. Saker Aviation Services (OTCMKTS:SKAS)

Saker Aviation Services (OTCMKTS:SKAS) and Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) are both industrials companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, valuation, dividends, earnings and profitability.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

37.3% of Saker Aviation Services shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 81.9% of Alaska Air Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 34.6% of Saker Aviation Services shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.0% of Alaska Air Group shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Saker Aviation Services and Alaska Air Group”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Saker Aviation Services	$1.27 million	4.49	-$1.09 million	($0.80)	-7.06
Alaska Air Group	$14.24 billion	0.36	$100.00 million	($1.57)	-29.22

Alaska Air Group has higher revenue and earnings than Saker Aviation Services. Alaska Air Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Saker Aviation Services, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares Saker Aviation Services and Alaska Air Group’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Saker Aviation Services	N/A	-9.12%	-8.76%
Alaska Air Group	-1.19%	-3.11%	-0.59%

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations for Saker Aviation Services and Alaska Air Group, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Saker Aviation Services	0	0	0	0	0.00
Alaska Air Group	2	1	11	0	2.64

Alaska Air Group has a consensus price target of $65.65, suggesting a potential upside of 43.11%. Given Alaska Air Group’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Alaska Air Group is more favorable than Saker Aviation Services.

Risk and Volatility

Saker Aviation Services has a beta of 0.01, indicating that its stock price is 99% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Alaska Air Group has a beta of 1.29, indicating that its stock price is 29% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Alaska Air Group beats Saker Aviation Services on 9 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Saker Aviation Services

Saker Aviation Services, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates in the aviation services segment of the general aviation industry in the United States. It serves as the operator of a Downtown Manhattan (New York) Heliport. The company was formerly known as FirstFlight, Inc. and changed its name to Saker Aviation Services, Inc. in September 2009. Saker Aviation Services, Inc. is headquartered in New York, New York.

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. Alaska Air Group, Inc. was founded in 1932 and is based in Seattle, Washington.