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

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)’s share price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $39.28 and last traded at $39.1650, with a volume of 2028151 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $41.67.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on ALK. Wall Street Zen downgraded Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. UBS Group reduced their price target on Alaska Air Group from $90.00 to $83.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $73.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 12th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald set a $65.00 target price on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $73.08.

Alaska Air Group Stock Down 6.0%

The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $49.36 and its 200-day moving average price is $51.65. The company has a market cap of $4.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.59, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.41.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $3.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.75 billion. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 8.93% and a net margin of 1.06%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 22.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.25 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Alaska Air Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the third quarter valued at $28,000. MAI Capital Management raised its holdings 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 worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 280 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its position in Alaska Air Group by 41.1% in the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 632 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new position in Alaska Air Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 43.2% during the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 838 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Alaska Air Group Company Profile

Alaska Air Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates airlines. It operates through three segments: Mainline, Regional, and Horizon. The company offers scheduled air transportation services on Boeing jet aircraft for passengers and cargo in the United States, and in parts of Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Belize, Guatemala, and the Bahamas; and for passengers across a shorter distance network within the United States, Canada, and Mexico.