Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) Coverage Initiated at BMO Capital Markets

Analysts at BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) in a report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage set an “outperform” rating and a $50.00 price target on the transportation company’s stock. BMO Capital Markets’ price objective would suggest a potential upside of 29.28% from the company’s previous close.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on ALK. Bank of America increased their price target on Alaska Air Group from $62.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Zacks Research raised Alaska Air Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $69.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $71.00 target price on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price target on Alaska Air Group from $52.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Alaska Air Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $64.82.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ALK opened at $38.68 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.46, a P/E/G ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.16. The business has a 50-day moving average of $49.41 and a two-hundred day moving average of $48.99. Alaska Air Group has a fifty-two week low of $36.68 and a fifty-two week high of $65.88. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business 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 firm posted $0.97 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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 research analysts predict that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Alaska Air Group

In other Alaska Air Group news, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 24,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.15, for a total value of $1,371,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 43,377 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,478,995.55. This trade represents a 35.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 14,500 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.81, for a total value of $794,745.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,195 shares in the company, valued at $1,106,887.95. The trade was a 41.79% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 56,945 shares of company stock worth $3,204,569 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Alaska Air Group

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ALK. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 40.1% in the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 173,610 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $8,642,000 after purchasing an additional 49,663 shares during the period. CM Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,244,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 29.1% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 206,172 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $10,263,000 after purchasing an additional 46,445 shares during the last quarter. Arista Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group in the third quarter valued at about $417,000. Finally, Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the third quarter worth approximately $4,194,000. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.