Stock Traders Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK)

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Stock traders bought 11,786 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 89% compared to the average daily volume of 6,233 call options.

Institutional Trading of Alaska Air Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new position in Alaska Air Group during the second quarter worth $1,407,000. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Alaska Air Group during the second quarter valued at $271,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Alaska Air Group by 15.2% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,978 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $260,000 after acquiring an additional 656 shares during the last quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 963.3% in the second quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 840 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 761 shares during the period. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 32.5% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,570 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 385 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Alaska Air Group Trading Down 1.3%

ALK traded down $0.67 on Friday, hitting $49.47. The company had a trading volume of 1,952,455 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,025,237. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $45.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $46.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. Alaska Air Group has a 12-month low of $33.03 and a 12-month high of $65.88. The company has a market cap of $5.51 billion, a PE ratio of 93.33 and a beta of 1.28.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 20th. The transportation company reported ($1.68) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.61) by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $3.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.31 billion. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 0.51% and a return on equity of 4.96%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.77) earnings per share. Alaska Air Group has set its Q2 2026 guidance at -1.000–1.000 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Alaska Air Group will post -0.25 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on ALK. Susquehanna lifted their target price on Alaska Air Group from $50.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Tuesday. Citigroup reissued a “sell” rating and set a $47.00 price target (up from $32.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Bank of America raised their price target on Alaska Air Group from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Wall Street Zen raised Alaska Air Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 6th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $62.00 price objective (up from $56.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $67.12.

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.