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

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

ALK has been the topic of several other reports. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $63.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 9th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $50.00 price objective for the company. Zacks Research raised shares of Alaska Air Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $60.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $69.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Alaska Air Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $64.82.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ALK opened at $36.21 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $4.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.16. The business’s 50 day moving average is $48.56 and its 200-day moving average is $48.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. Alaska Air Group has a 1-year low of $35.89 and a 1-year high of $65.88.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 14,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.81, for a total value of $794,745.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,106,887.95. The trade was a 41.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 24,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.15, for a total transaction of $1,371,600.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 43,377 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,478,995.55. This represents a 35.62% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 56,945 shares of company stock worth $3,204,569. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. MAI Capital Management raised its position in Alaska Air Group by 80.5% during the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 628 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 280 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the third quarter worth $34,000. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. lifted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 242.5% during the fourth quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 685 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.