Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Time to Sell?

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $37.26 and last traded at $37.02, with a volume of 79432 shares. The stock had previously closed at $37.88.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on ALK. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $70.00 target price (up from $60.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Monday, January 12th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $69.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $71.00 price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Alaska Air Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $67.00.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

The firm’s fifty day moving average is $49.61 and its 200 day moving average is $49.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.36, a PEG ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 0.50 and a quick ratio of 0.46.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.43 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $3.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.97 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, analysts predict that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Alaska Air Group

In other Alaska Air Group news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 14,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.81, for a total value of $794,745.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,195 shares in the company, valued at $1,106,887.95. The trade was a 41.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 24,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.15, for a total value of $1,371,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 43,377 shares in the company, valued at $2,478,995.55. This trade represents a 35.62% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 56,945 shares of company stock valued at $3,204,569. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 86.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 3,175,350 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $159,720,000 after buying an additional 1,475,350 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in Alaska Air Group by 19,661.8% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,235,901 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $62,166,000 after acquiring an additional 1,229,647 shares in the last quarter. Jain Global LLC bought a new position in Alaska Air Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,683,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 1,563.7% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,092,368 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $54,378,000 after acquiring an additional 1,026,710 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Alaska Air Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $48,583,000. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.