Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC Invests $1.09 Million in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC purchased a new stake in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 16,761 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,085,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,061,596 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $93,229,000 after buying an additional 78,186 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 0.4% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,593,756 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $72,054,000 after acquiring an additional 6,977 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,432,052 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $92,725,000 after acquiring an additional 9,805 shares in the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Alaska Air Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $82,459,000. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 32.4% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,084,639 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $49,037,000 after purchasing an additional 265,343 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Alaska Air Group from $63.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $77.00.

Alaska Air Group Stock Up 2.3 %

NYSE:ALK opened at $53.82 on Monday. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $32.62 and a twelve month high of $78.08. The company’s 50 day moving average is $68.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $56.57. 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 company has a market cap of $6.62 billion, a PE ratio of 17.65, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.50.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.52. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 14.66% and a net margin of 3.37%. Analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Alaska Air Group

In other Alaska Air Group news, CEO Joseph A. Sprague sold 2,325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.38, for a total transaction of $149,683.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 19,340 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,245,109.20. This trade represents a 10.73 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.89, for a total transaction of $51,112.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 20,286 shares in the company, valued at $1,296,072.54. This trade represents a 3.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 162,618 shares of company stock worth $11,722,035 over the last three months. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.