Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) from a strong sell rating to a sell rating in a research report released on Sunday,Wall Street Zen reports.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Friday. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $54.00 price target (up from $52.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $94.00 to $92.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Barclays set a $52.00 price objective on Alaska Air Group and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Alaska Air Group from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Alaska Air Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $59.31.

Alaska Air Group Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of ALK stock opened at $39.94 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58. Alaska Air Group has a 12 month low of $33.03 and a 12 month high of $60.63. The stock has a market cap of $4.45 billion, a P/E ratio of -25.44 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $43.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $43.22.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The transportation company reported ($0.92) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.99) by $0.07. The business had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.09 billion. Alaska Air Group had a negative net margin of 1.19% and a negative return on equity of 3.11%. The company’s revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.42 EPS. Alaska Air Group has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.000-1.000 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Alaska Air Group will post -1.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Alaska Air Group news, EVP Andrew Harrison sold 5,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.67, for a total value of $263,251.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 25,528 shares in the company, valued at $1,267,975.76. This represents a 17.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Benito Minicucci acquired 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $40.06 per share, with a total value of $1,001,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 256,582 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,278,674.92. This represents a 10.80% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 10.1% during the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 6,727 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $351,000 after purchasing an additional 617 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. purchased a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $247,000. Capstone Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Capstone Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 30,206 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,577,000 after purchasing an additional 1,339 shares during the period. Engineers Gate Manager LP lifted its position in Alaska Air Group by 1,445.3% in the second quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 87,187 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $4,551,000 after buying an additional 81,545 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its position in Alaska Air Group by 29.9% during the second quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 32,134 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,677,000 after acquiring an additional 7,391 shares during the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Alaska Air Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alaska Air Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: At its investor day, Alaska Air set 2030 growth targets and outlined the next phase of its “Alaska Accelerate” plan, including approximately $1 billion in incremental profit potential. Management is targeting stronger earnings through premium products, international growth and better network performance. Alaska Air Group Sets 2030 Growth Targets at Investor Day
• Positive Sentiment: The company is investing heavily in higher-margin premium travel across Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines. Planned offerings include lie-flat Aurora Suites, Premium Reserve seats, upgraded dining, expanded lounges and additional premium-economy capacity. These products are intended to attract business and leisure travelers willing to pay more and help Alaska compete with larger global carriers. Alaska Air bets on premium travel for earnings boost as fuel costs bite
• Neutral Sentiment: Alaska is maintaining its international ambitions despite higher fuel prices, with global expansion expected to support the long-term strategy. Chief Executive Ben Minicucci also said he was not overly concerned about the latest Boeing 737 MAX 10 certification delay, reducing immediate fleet-planning worries, although delivery timing remains a monitoring point. Alaska Airlines CEO not overly concerned about new Boeing Max 10 delay
• Negative Sentiment: Higher jet-fuel prices are squeezing airline profitability just as Alaska undertakes substantial cabin, lounge and fleet investments. The premium strategy requires significant upfront spending and successful execution, while the company’s latest reported quarter still showed a loss, leaving investors sensitive to cost increases and the pace at which the new offerings generate returns. Alaska Air making big investments in the premium business

Alaska Air Group Company Profile

Alaska Air Group, Inc is an airline holding company whose principal subsidiaries include Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and regional carrier Horizon Air. The company provides scheduled passenger and air cargo transportation, along with related services such as aircraft maintenance and ground handling through affiliated businesses.

Alaska Airlines serves destinations throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica and other parts of North America, while Hawaiian Airlines connects the Hawaiian Islands with the U.S.