Wall Street Zen Upgrades Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) to “Hold”

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Friday.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Zacks Research upgraded Alaska Air Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. UBS Group set a $77.00 target price on shares of Alaska Air Group and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and set a $70.00 price target (up from $60.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald set a $65.00 price target on Alaska Air Group in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $71.80.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

NYSE ALK traded up $2.02 on Friday, hitting $50.88. The company had a trading volume of 8,100,523 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,607,459. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.49. The company has a market capitalization of $5.90 billion, a PE ratio of 58.48, a PEG ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 1.22. Alaska Air Group has a 12-month low of $37.63 and a 12-month high of $78.08. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $47.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $50.79.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last announced its 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.64 billion. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 0.70% and a return on equity of 7.26%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.97 earnings per share. 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. As a group, analysts predict that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. MAI Capital Management raised its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 80.5% in the 2nd quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 628 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 280 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 253 shares during the period. Finally, Country Trust Bank acquired a new stake in Alaska Air Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

More Alaska Air Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 adjusted EPS beat expectations (adjusted $0.43 vs. consensus $0.11), providing an upside surprise that likely supported the rally. Alaska Air Group reports fourth quarter and full year 2025 results
• Positive Sentiment: Management issued FY2026 EPS guidance of $3.50–$6.50 and said momentum is accelerating (integration with Hawaiian Airlines cited), which gives investors a multi‑quarter thesis for earnings improvement. Alaska Air Group reports fourth quarter and full year 2025 results
• Positive Sentiment: Company and analysts are pointing to a pickup in bookings late in Q4 and management expects a “meaningful” improvement in 2026 EPS, reinforcing forward optimism. Alaska Air expects ‘meaningful’ improvement in 2026 EPS
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue grew modestly (about 2.8% y/y to $3.63B) but came in roughly flat to slightly below some estimates — a mixed top‑line print that tempers the EPS beat. Earnings snapshot / conference call
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term guidance disappointed: Q1 2026 EPS was guided to -$1.50 to -$0.50 (worse than consensus), which is a short‑term drag and heightens execution risk. Alaska Air Group reports fourth quarter and full year 2025 results
• Negative Sentiment: CEO flagged operational risks from a major winter storm that could disrupt flights and add costs — a near‑term catalyst for volatility in revenue and margins. Alaska Airlines CEO on potential impact to flights from massive winter storm
• Negative Sentiment: Management warned of fuel/refinery risks in California that could increase costs or constrain operations, a material input‑cost risk for airlines. Alaska Airlines CEO: California refineries are a big risk for us going forward
• Negative Sentiment: Detailed quarter metrics show steep year‑over‑year declines in profitability and cash balances, higher cost of sales and rising capex/liabilities — longer‑term fundamentals that could limit upside until margins recover. Q4 results: modest revenue growth, EPS beats but profitability slumps

About Alaska Air Group

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.