Zacks Research Downgrades Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) to Strong Sell

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) was downgraded by research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Alaska Air Group’s Q4 2026 earnings at $1.39 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $9.18 EPS.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on Alaska Air Group in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $50.00 price target on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $63.00 price objective on Alaska Air Group in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup cut 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, March 20th. Bank of America cut their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Alaska Air Group from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $63.67.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

NYSE:ALK opened at $39.84 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $4.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $46.52 and its 200-day moving average is $47.12. Alaska Air Group has a 1-year low of $33.03 and a 1-year high of $65.88.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.32. The company had revenue of $3.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.64 billion. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 7.22% and a net margin of 0.70%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.97 earnings per share. 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. Equities research analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Kyle B. Levine sold 2,945 shares of Alaska Air Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.02, for a total value of $176,758.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,259,039.54. The trade was a 12.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,195 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,106,887.95. This represents a 41.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 56,945 shares of company stock valued at $3,204,569 over the last ninety days. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ellis Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 0.5% in the third quarter. Ellis Investment Partners LLC now owns 40,885 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,035,000 after buying an additional 212 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 30.4% in the fourth quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 910 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 212 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 19.9% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 1,397 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $70,000 after buying an additional 232 shares during the period. Lesa Sroufe & Co lifted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 0.7% in the third quarter. Lesa Sroufe & Co now owns 36,589 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,821,000 after buying an additional 242 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Alaska Air Group by 6.0% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,387 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $218,000 after buying an additional 249 shares during the period. 81.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Alaska Air Group

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.