Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) Shares Gap Up – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $36.93, but opened at $41.65. Alaska Air Group shares last traded at $40.8460, with a volume of 3,089,001 shares traded.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on ALK shares. TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $63.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Weiss Ratings raised Alaska Air Group from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on Alaska Air Group in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $50.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Susquehanna upped their target price on Alaska Air Group from $52.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $63.67.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 0.50 and a quick ratio of 0.46. The company has a market capitalization of $4.62 billion, a PE ratio of 46.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 1.27. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $46.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $47.18.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Alaska Air Group

In other Alaska Air Group news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 5,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.63, for a total value of $311,465.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 30,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,745,789.64. This represents a 15.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 24,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.15, for a total transaction of $1,371,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 43,377 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,478,995.55. The trade was a 35.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 56,945 shares of company stock valued at $3,204,569. 0.92% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Alaska Air Group in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. First Command Advisory Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 242.5% during the 4th quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 685 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 485 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 43.2% during the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 838 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.