Zacks Research Downgrades Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) to Strong Sell

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Alaska Air Group’s Q4 2026 earnings at $1.39 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $9.18 EPS.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on ALK. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $71.00 target price on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Friday, December 19th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Alaska Air Group from $63.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $70.00 target price (up from $60.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Monday, January 12th. UBS Group lowered their target price on Alaska Air Group from $60.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on Alaska Air Group in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $50.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $63.67.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

Shares of ALK opened at $39.84 on Tuesday. Alaska Air Group has a 52-week low of $33.03 and a 52-week high of $65.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.50. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $46.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $47.12. The firm has a market cap of $4.51 billion, a PE ratio of 45.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 1.27.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last issued its quarterly 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. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 7.22% and a net margin of 0.70%.The firm had revenue of $3.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.97 earnings per share. The company’s revenue 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, equities analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Alaska Air Group news, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 24,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 14,500 shares of the firm’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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,106,887.95. This represents a 41.79% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 56,945 shares of company stock worth $3,204,569 over the last quarter. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Alaska Air Group in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC bought a new position in Alaska Air Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new position in Alaska Air Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. First Command Advisory Services Inc. boosted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 242.5% in the 4th quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 685 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 485 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 43.2% in 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. Institutional investors own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

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.