Short Interest in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Increases By 21.4%

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 9,027,680 shares, an increase of 21.4% from the January 15th total of 7,436,767 shares. Currently, 7.9% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 4,738,075 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.9 days. Based on an average daily volume of 4,738,075 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.9 days. Currently, 7.9% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 10,000 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.00, for a total transaction of $550,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 33,530 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,844,150. This trade represents a 22.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kyle B. Levine sold 2,945 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.02, for a total value of $176,758.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,977 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,259,039.54. This trade represents a 12.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. MAI Capital Management increased its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 80.5% during the 2nd quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 628 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 280 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alaska Air Group Stock Up 3.3%

Shares of ALK traded up $1.81 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $57.08. The stock had a trading volume of 746,900 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,682,720. Alaska Air Group has a 1-year low of $37.63 and a 1-year high of $78.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 65.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 1.21. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $51.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $51.04. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.32. The business had revenue of $3.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.64 billion. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 7.22% and a net margin of 0.70%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.97 EPS. 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. Sell-side analysts predict that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on ALK shares. Zacks Research raised Alaska Air Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Alaska Air Group from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Friday. 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. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Alaska Air Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $52.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Alaska Air Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $71.40.

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.