Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) Shares Down 5.3% – Should You Sell?

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) shares fell 5.3% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $64.82 and last traded at $66.22. 2,600,087 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 4% from the average session volume of 2,709,709 shares. The stock had previously closed at $69.90.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on ALK shares. Citigroup upped their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $63.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Susquehanna upgraded 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. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $81.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Alaska Air Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $77.00.

Alaska Air Group Stock Down 6.9 %

The stock has a market cap of $8.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.33, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.55. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $70.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $55.33. 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 issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.52. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 14.66% and a net margin of 3.37%. As a group, research analysts expect 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, VP Emily Halverson sold 1,329 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.41, for a total value of $85,600.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 7,150 shares in the company, valued at approximately $460,531.50. The trade was a 15.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 3,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.50, for a total transaction of $234,950.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 21,086 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,338,961. This trade represents a 14.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 189,198 shares of company stock valued at $13,415,604. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Alaska Air Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ALK. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Alaska Air Group by 165.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 19,444 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $879,000 after buying an additional 12,126 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 4.7% during the third quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 5,938 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $268,000 after acquiring an additional 267 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 15.9% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 4,460 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $202,000 after purchasing an additional 611 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 9,271 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $419,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Alaska Air Group by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,770 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $397,000 after purchasing an additional 309 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

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.