DDD Partners LLC Grows Position in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)

DDD Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) by 64.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 271,228 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 106,343 shares during the period. Alaska Air Group makes up about 1.4% of DDD Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position. DDD Partners LLC owned approximately 0.21% of Alaska Air Group worth $10,597,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of ALK. Point72 Asset Management L.P. lifted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 607.8% during the 2nd quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 2,177,794 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $115,815,000 after acquiring an additional 1,870,094 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $62,390,000. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,293,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,980,000. Finally, BlackRock Inc. lifted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 9.1% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 7,951,500 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $422,861,000 after acquiring an additional 660,917 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 6,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.36, for a total transaction of $249,340.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,048 shares in the company, valued at $999,201.28. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Alaska Air Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 9th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $54.00 target price for the company. Raymond James cut shares of Alaska Air Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 4th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $45.00 to $40.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Susquehanna cut shares of Alaska Air Group from a “positive” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $39.00 to $40.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Alaska Air Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $55.93.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

Alaska Air Group stock opened at $42.01 on Thursday. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $30.75 and a 52-week high of $57.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.21, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.62. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $37.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $36.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The transportation company reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.12. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 2.25% and a return on equity of 14.72%. The firm had revenue of $2.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.92 earnings per share. Alaska Air Group’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 4.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Alaska Air Group

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.