5,500 Shares in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Bought by Levin Capital Strategies L.P.

Levin Capital Strategies L.P. bought a new stake in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 5,500 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $356,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Pacific Center for Financial Services acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group during the third quarter valued at about $45,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 86.0% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,025 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 474 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the third quarter worth about $52,000. Finally, Quarry LP increased its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 259.3% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,175 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 848 shares in the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ALK has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Susquehanna upgraded shares of Alaska Air Group from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and set a $95.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $63.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $76.69.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

Shares of ALK stock opened at $72.25 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $70.04 and its 200 day moving average is $54.74. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $8.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.69, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.55. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $32.62 and a 12 month high of $78.08.

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

Insider Transactions at Alaska Air Group

In other Alaska Air Group news, COO Muehlen Constance E. Von sold 22,157 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were 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 owns 20,026 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,504,353.12. This represents a 52.53 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 13,880 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.01, for a total transaction of $888,458.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,638 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,321,038.38. The trade was a 40.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 189,198 shares of company stock valued at $13,415,604 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

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.