Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) Reaches New 52-Week Low After Analyst Downgrade

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low on Thursday after Susquehanna lowered their price target on the stock from $50.00 to $43.00. Susquehanna currently has a positive rating on the stock. Alaska Air Group traded as low as $32.74 and last traded at $32.6980, with a volume of 52,347 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $33.54.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on ALK. Wall Street Zen downgraded Alaska Air Group from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Barclays set a $52.00 price target on Alaska Air Group and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 11th. BMO Capital Markets set a $50.00 price objective on Alaska Air Group and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 28th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $51.00 price objective (down from $54.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research note on Friday, October 16th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Alaska Air Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $56.85.

Insider Transactions at Alaska Air Group

In related news, CEO Benito Minicucci purchased 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $40.06 per share, for a total transaction of $1,001,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 256,582 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,278,674.92. This represents a 10.80% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 5,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $1,267,975.76. This trade represents a 17.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Key Alaska Air Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alaska Air Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alaska Air reported 14.4% year-over-year revenue growth to $4.31 billion in the third quarter. Adjusted EPS of $0.36 exceeded the Zacks consensus estimate of $0.35, supported by strong yields and continued demand. Alaska Air Group Q3 Earnings Top Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted long-term growth initiatives, including premium traffic growth of 24.5%, diversified revenue reaching 54% of the total mix, new Seattle international routes and plans to join international joint businesses with oneworld and global partners. Alaska Air: 3 Key Takeaways for Long-Term Investors
• Positive Sentiment: Susquehanna maintained a positive rating and set a $43 price target, implying substantial upside from the current price, although the target was reduced from $50.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts’ average price target remains considerably higher at approximately $57.38, but the dispersion among targets indicates uncertainty about the pace of earnings recovery. Alaska Air Group Analyst Price Target
• Negative Sentiment: Alaska Air posted a $147 million third-quarter loss, or a GAAP loss of $1.32 per share. Adjusted EPS of $0.36 declined sharply from $1.05 a year earlier and missed the broader consensus estimate of $0.39. Alaska Air Group Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results
• Negative Sentiment: The company forecast a fourth-quarter adjusted loss of $2.50 to $2.00 per share, substantially worse than the $1.14 consensus estimate. Surging fuel costs are more than offsetting revenue growth and are the primary reason for the weaker outlook. Alaska Air Forecasts Bigger-Than-Expected Fourth-Quarter Loss

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 15.1% in the third quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 7,979 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $302,000 after buying an additional 1,048 shares in the last quarter. Mosley Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 1,475.0% in the third quarter. Mosley Wealth Management now owns 945 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 885 shares in the last quarter. Daytona Street Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Daytona Street Capital LLC now owns 91,940 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,658,000 after acquiring an additional 1,200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 1,065.1% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 314,093 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $12,155,000 after acquiring an additional 287,134 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Alaska Air Group Trading Down 1.0%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.70 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.50 and a beta of 1.33. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $40.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $43.20.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 20th. The transportation company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.31 billion. Alaska Air Group had a negative return on equity of 5.31% and a negative net margin of 2.58%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.05 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post -3.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Alaska Air Group

Alaska Air Group, Inc is an airline holding company headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Its principal subsidiaries include Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, which operate under separate brands while serving passengers throughout North America, the Pacific and other international markets.

Alaska Airlines provides scheduled passenger and air cargo services across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica and the Bahamas, with a strong presence on the U.S. West Coast and in Alaska.