Zacks Research Brokers Increase Earnings Estimates for ALK

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) – Zacks Research upped their Q3 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Alaska Air Group in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, August 11th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the transportation company will post earnings of $0.91 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $0.40. Zacks Research has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Alaska Air Group’s current full-year earnings is ($1.02) per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Alaska Air Group’s Q4 2026 earnings at $0.15 EPS, FY2026 earnings at ($1.54) EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.52 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.94 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.80 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $6.20 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $2.60 EPS and Q2 2028 earnings at $2.17 EPS.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on ALK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Alaska Air Group from $94.00 to $92.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 24th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $80.00 to $78.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Susquehanna upped their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $50.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $62.50 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Alaska Air Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell 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 price target of $65.65.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

ALK stock opened at $47.42 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58. The company has a market capitalization of $5.28 billion, a PE ratio of -30.20 and a beta of 1.29. Alaska Air Group has a 12-month low of $33.03 and a 12-month high of $65.88. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $48.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $45.78.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The transportation company reported ($0.92) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.99) by $0.07. Alaska Air Group had a negative return on equity of 3.11% and a negative net margin of 1.19%.The business had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.09 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.42 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Alaska Air Group has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.000-1.000 EPS.

Institutional Trading of Alaska Air Group

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 30.4% in the fourth quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 910 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 212 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC lifted its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 25,951 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,305,000 after buying an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT lifted its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT now owns 14,647 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $737,000 after buying an additional 281 shares during the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 23,499 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $864,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 38,414 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,932,000 after acquiring an additional 313 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 5,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.67, for a total transaction of $263,251.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 25,528 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,267,975.76. The trade was a 17.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Alaska Air Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised its Q3 2026 EPS forecast to $0.91 from $0.40 and shifted its Q4 2026 forecast to a profit of $0.15 per share from a loss of $0.38. Its FY2026 loss estimate also improved to $1.54 per share from $2.54, signaling better near-term operating expectations.
• Positive Sentiment: Longer-term estimates were increased for Q2 2027, to $1.93 EPS from $1.71, and for FY2028, to $9.99 EPS from $9.75. Q1 and Q2 2028 forecasts were also raised substantially, to $2.60 and $2.17 per share, respectively, suggesting stronger earnings potential beyond the current year.
• Neutral Sentiment: The revisions are not uniformly positive. Zacks reduced its Q1 2027 forecast to $0.52 EPS from $0.74 and Q3 2027 to $1.94 from $2.34. The FY2027 estimate edged down to $6.20 from $6.31, indicating some uncertainty about the pace of the recovery.
• Neutral Sentiment: Alaska Air Group’s current-year consensus remains a loss of approximately $1.02 per share, while Zacks projects a $1.54 loss for FY2026. Investors may therefore view the improved quarterly forecasts as an early recovery signal rather than evidence of an immediate return to sustained profitability.

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.