Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Receives $71.80 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $71.80.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen cut Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Alaska Air Group from $62.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $71.00 price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research note on Friday, December 19th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ALK. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Alaska Air Group by 0.9% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,273,084 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $312,280,000 after purchasing an additional 56,225 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 1.3% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,266,619 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $161,632,000 after buying an additional 42,454 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in Alaska Air Group by 18.4% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,374,501 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $118,203,000 after acquiring an additional 368,511 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Alaska Air Group by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,215,697 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $109,657,000 after acquiring an additional 77,531 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Alaska Air Group by 10.1% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,456,129 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $71,809,000 after acquiring an additional 134,141 shares during the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alaska Air Group Stock Up 2.7%

ALK stock opened at $48.88 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $5.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.42, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. Alaska Air Group has a twelve month low of $37.63 and a twelve month high of $78.08. The company’s 50 day moving average is $47.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $50.81.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by ($0.06). Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 1.06% and a return on equity of 8.93%. The company had revenue of $3.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.75 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.25 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 22.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 earnings per share 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.