Wall Street Zen Downgrades Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) to Strong Sell

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $62.00 target price (up from $56.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Alaska Air Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $47.00 to $37.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Alaska Air Group from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $94.00 to $92.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $65.65.

Alaska Air Group Trading Down 2.7%

NYSE:ALK opened at $50.66 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $5.64 billion, a PE ratio of -32.26 and a beta of 1.29. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $47.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $45.80. Alaska Air Group has a 12-month low of $33.03 and a 12-month high of $65.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The transportation company reported ($0.92) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.99) by $0.07. The company had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.09 billion. Alaska Air Group had a negative return on equity of 3.11% and a negative net margin of 1.19%.Alaska Air Group’s revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.42 EPS. Alaska Air Group has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.000-1.000 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group will post -0.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Alaska Air Group news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 5,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.67, for a total transaction of $263,251.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 25,528 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,267,975.76. This trade represents a 17.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the 2nd quarter worth $128,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group in the second quarter valued at $34,776,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group in the second quarter valued at $500,000. Compound Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group during the second quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Plan Group Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group during the second quarter worth about $344,000. 81.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.