U S Global Investors Inc. Lowers Holdings in Alaska Air Group, Inc. $ALK

U S Global Investors Inc. trimmed its position in Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) by 22.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 371,365 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 107,687 shares during the period. Alaska Air Group accounts for 2.1% of U S Global Investors Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. U S Global Investors Inc.’s holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $18,487,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ALK. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 249.1% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,638,464 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $129,865,000 after buying an additional 1,882,598 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Alaska Air Group by 13,557.0% in the 2nd quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 625,764 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $30,963,000 after acquiring an additional 621,182 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 2,880.4% in the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 624,035 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $30,877,000 after acquiring an additional 603,097 shares in the last quarter. Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 78.4% in the 2nd quarter. Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC now owns 1,009,317 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $49,941,000 after acquiring an additional 443,572 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $21,485,000. Institutional investors own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on ALK shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Susquehanna set a $58.00 price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Alaska Air Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, UBS Group set a $77.00 price target on Alaska Air Group and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $69.73.

Alaska Air Group Price Performance

Shares of Alaska Air Group stock opened at $51.50 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.52. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $37.63 and a 52-week high of $78.08. The company has a fifty day moving average of $45.73 and a 200-day moving average of $50.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.22.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.11 by ($0.06). Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 8.93% and a net margin of 1.06%.The business had revenue of $3.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.75 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.25 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Alaska Air Group 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.