Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) Shares Gap Up – What’s Next?

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)’s stock price gapped up before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $36.93, but opened at $41.65. Alaska Air Group shares last traded at $40.8460, with a volume of 3,089,001 shares.

More Alaska Air Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised several 2027–2028 estimates (Q2–Q4 2027, Q3 2027, FY2027 and FY2028) — Zacks now models stronger earnings later in the forecast horizon (FY2027 to $6.61 and FY2028 to $9.18), implying improved medium?term profitability expectations that could support a recovery in ALK over time.
• Positive Sentiment: Alaska Airlines marketing push — the company returned as the official airline of Coachella/Stagecoach, a consumer?facing activation that may boost seasonal revenue and brand visibility at a high?demand travel moment. Alaska Airlines Coachella partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst commentary — some Zacks content highlights bullish points from Wall Street coverage but is higher?level/interpretive rather than a primary research change. Wall Street Bulls Look Optimistic About Alaska Air (ALK)
• Negative Sentiment: Company cut Q1 2026 guidance sharply — Alaska updated Q1 2026 EPS guidance to a range of -2.00 to -1.50, well below the consensus (-0.94). That materially raises near?term downside risk to earnings and is a key driver of selling pressure.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks downgraded ALK to “Strong Sell” and trimmed several near?term estimates (Q1 2026 and parts of 2026–2028), signaling low conviction in the short?term recovery and likely amplifying negative sentiment among investors. Zacks Research coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Media warning to avoid stock — recent commentary highlights rising fuel costs, weak demand in some markets and steep estimate cuts as headwinds, reinforcing near?term cautions for investors. Here’s Why Investors Should Avoid Alaska Air Group Stock for Now

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on ALK. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $71.00 price target on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Friday, December 19th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $50.00 price target on the stock. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Alaska Air Group from $63.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Alaska Air Group from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $63.67.

Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.50. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $46.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $47.07. The company has a market capitalization of $4.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.89, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.27.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 net margin of 0.70% and a return on equity of 7.22%. Alaska Air Group’s quarterly revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm 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. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Alaska Air Group

In related news, EVP Kyle B. Levine sold 2,945 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.02, for a total value of $176,758.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,977 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,259,039.54. This represents a 12.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Shane R. Tackett sold 24,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.15, for a total transaction of $1,371,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 43,377 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,478,995.55. This trade represents a 35.62% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 56,945 shares of company stock worth $3,204,569. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ALK. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new position in Alaska Air Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. First Command Advisory Services Inc. grew its stake in 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 valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Alaska Air Group by 43.2% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 838 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

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.