Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Short Interest Up 21.4% in January

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 9,027,680 shares, an increase of 21.4% from the January 15th total of 7,436,767 shares. Currently, 7.9% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 4,738,075 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.9 days. Based on an average trading volume of 4,738,075 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.9 days. Currently, 7.9% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.00, for a total value of $550,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 33,530 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,844,150. This represents a 22.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Kyle B. Levine sold 2,945 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.02, for a total value of $176,758.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,259,039.54. This represents a 12.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.92% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 40.1% during the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 173,610 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $8,642,000 after purchasing an additional 49,663 shares during the period. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in Alaska Air Group in the second quarter worth about $594,000. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,192,000. Arista Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $417,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in Alaska Air Group in the third quarter worth $979,000. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $69.00 target price (up previously from $61.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and set a $71.00 price target on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Zacks Research upgraded Alaska Air Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Alaska Air Group from $62.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Alaska Air Group from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $71.40.

Alaska Air Group Stock Up 3.3%

Shares of ALK stock traded up $1.81 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $57.08. 746,900 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,682,720. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $51.92 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $51.04. Alaska Air Group has a 12-month low of $37.63 and a 12-month high of $78.08. The stock has a market cap of $6.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 65.55, a PEG ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 1.21.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.32. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 7.22% and a net margin of 0.70%.The company had revenue of $3.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.97 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, analysts expect that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 EPS for the current 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.