Millstone Evans Group LLC Invests $76,000 in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,176 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $76,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of ALK. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 11.2% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 28,316 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,280,000 after purchasing an additional 2,858 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 54.2% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 19,147 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $866,000 after purchasing an additional 6,734 shares in the last quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc boosted its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 9.8% during the 3rd quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 7,763 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $351,000 after acquiring an additional 695 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,593,756 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $72,054,000 after acquiring an additional 6,977 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 45.1% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,422,247 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $64,300,000 after acquiring an additional 442,331 shares during the period. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

Alaska Air Group stock opened at $52.75 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The company has a market capitalization of $6.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.30, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.50. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $67.46 and its 200 day moving average is $57.18. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $32.62 and a twelve month high of $78.08.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.52. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 14.66% and a net margin of 3.37%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Alaska Air Group news, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 22,893 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.74, for a total transaction of $1,733,915.82. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 31,873 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,414,061.02. This trade represents a 41.80 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 1,830 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.32, for a total value of $134,175.60. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 20,286 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,487,369.52. This represents a 8.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 154,725 shares of company stock worth $11,217,263 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on ALK. Bank of America increased their target price on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Alaska Air Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. UBS Group dropped their target price on Alaska Air Group from $87.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on Alaska Air Group from $83.00 to $81.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $77.00.

Alaska Air Group Profile

Alaska Air Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates airlines. It operates through three segments: Mainline, Regional, and Horizon. The company offers scheduled air transportation services on Boeing jet aircraft for passengers and cargo in the United States, and in parts of Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Belize, Guatemala, and the Bahamas; and for passengers across a shorter distance network within the United States, Canada, and Mexico.