Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) Rating Increased to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Friday.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and set a $69.00 price target (up previously from $61.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. UBS Group set a $77.00 price target on shares of Alaska Air Group and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Zacks Research raised shares of Alaska Air Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $71.00 price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Alaska Air Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $71.80.

Alaska Air Group Stock Up 4.1%

Shares of ALK stock traded up $2.02 during trading on Friday, reaching $50.88. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 8,100,523 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,607,459. Alaska Air Group has a 1-year low of $37.63 and a 1-year high of $78.08. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $47.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $50.79. The company has a market capitalization of $5.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.48, a P/E/G ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.49.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.32. The company 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 7.26%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior 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. On average, research analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ALK. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in Alaska Air Group by 16.7% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 5,231 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $263,000 after acquiring an additional 748 shares during the period. Sunpointe LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $641,000. tru Independence LLC increased its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. tru Independence LLC now owns 102,001 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $5,131,000 after purchasing an additional 4,290 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 24.8% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,962,620 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $149,020,000 after purchasing an additional 588,119 shares during the period. Finally, Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $206,000. 81.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Alaska Air Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 adjusted EPS beat expectations (adjusted $0.43 vs. consensus $0.11), providing an upside surprise that likely supported the rally. Alaska Air Group reports fourth quarter and full year 2025 results
• Positive Sentiment: Management issued FY2026 EPS guidance of $3.50–$6.50 and said momentum is accelerating (integration with Hawaiian Airlines cited), which gives investors a multi‑quarter thesis for earnings improvement. Alaska Air Group reports fourth quarter and full year 2025 results
• Positive Sentiment: Company and analysts are pointing to a pickup in bookings late in Q4 and management expects a “meaningful” improvement in 2026 EPS, reinforcing forward optimism. Alaska Air expects ‘meaningful’ improvement in 2026 EPS
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue grew modestly (about 2.8% y/y to $3.63B) but came in roughly flat to slightly below some estimates — a mixed top‑line print that tempers the EPS beat. Earnings snapshot / conference call
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term guidance disappointed: Q1 2026 EPS was guided to -$1.50 to -$0.50 (worse than consensus), which is a short‑term drag and heightens execution risk. Alaska Air Group reports fourth quarter and full year 2025 results
• Negative Sentiment: CEO flagged operational risks from a major winter storm that could disrupt flights and add costs — a near‑term catalyst for volatility in revenue and margins. Alaska Airlines CEO on potential impact to flights from massive winter storm
• Negative Sentiment: Management warned of fuel/refinery risks in California that could increase costs or constrain operations, a material input‑cost risk for airlines. Alaska Airlines CEO: California refineries are a big risk for us going forward
• Negative Sentiment: Detailed quarter metrics show steep year‑over‑year declines in profitability and cash balances, higher cost of sales and rising capex/liabilities — longer‑term fundamentals that could limit upside until margins recover. Q4 results: modest revenue growth, EPS beats but profitability slumps

Alaska Air Group Company Profile

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.