Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Short Interest Up 21.4% in January

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 9,027,680 shares, an increase of 21.4% from the January 15th total of 7,436,767 shares. Currently, 7.9% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 4,738,075 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.9 days. Based on an average daily volume of 4,738,075 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.9 days. Currently, 7.9% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Alaska Air Group news, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.00, for a total value of $550,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 33,530 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,844,150. This represents a 22.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Kyle B. Levine sold 2,945 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.02, for a total transaction of $176,758.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,259,039.54. This represents a 12.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 27,445 shares of company stock valued at $1,521,504. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ALK. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 86.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 3,175,350 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $159,720,000 after buying an additional 1,475,350 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in Alaska Air Group by 19,661.8% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,235,901 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $62,166,000 after acquiring an additional 1,229,647 shares in the last quarter. Jain Global LLC purchased a new stake in Alaska Air Group in the fourth quarter valued at $53,683,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 1,563.7% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,092,368 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $54,378,000 after acquiring an additional 1,026,710 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group in the third quarter valued at $48,583,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ALK. Susquehanna boosted their target price on Alaska Air Group from $52.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Wall Street Zen raised Alaska Air Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. UBS Group set a $77.00 target price on Alaska Air Group and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Alaska Air Group from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $62.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $71.40.

Alaska Air Group Stock Down 0.6%

NYSE ALK traded down $0.35 on Wednesday, hitting $56.73. 801,256 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,640,292. Alaska Air Group has a fifty-two week low of $37.63 and a fifty-two week high of $78.08. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $52.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $51.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The company has a market cap of $6.58 billion, a PE ratio of 65.19, a PEG ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 1.21.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.32. The business had revenue of $3.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.64 billion. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 0.70% and a return on equity of 7.22%. The company’s revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.97 EPS. Alaska Air Group has set its Q1 2026 guidance at -1.500–0.500 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 3.500-6.500 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Alaska Air Group

Alaska Air Group is a publicly traded holding company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, that operates two main airlines—Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air. Through these carriers, the company offers scheduled passenger and cargo services across a network spanning the United States, Canada and Mexico. Its core business activities include domestic and international air transportation, loyalty program management under the Mileage Plan brand, and ancillary revenue streams such as baggage fees, in-flight sales and code-share partnerships with other global airlines.

The roots of Alaska Air Group trace back to the foundation of its flagship carrier, Alaska Airlines, in 1932.