Equities Analysts Offer Predictions for ALK Q1 Earnings
by Kim Johansen · The Markets DailyAlaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK – Free Report) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research issued their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Alaska Air Group in a report released on Wednesday, April 8th. Zacks Research analyst Team anticipates that the transportation company will post earnings per share of ($1.61) for the quarter. Zacks Research has a “Strong Sell” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Alaska Air Group’s current full-year earnings is $6.03 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Alaska Air Group’s Q2 2026 earnings at $1.84 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.46 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $3.07 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.74 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.69 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.93 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.24 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $6.61 EPS and Q1 2028 earnings at ($0.53) EPS.
Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.32. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 7.22% and a net margin of 0.70%.The company had revenue of $3.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.64 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.97 EPS. Alaska Air Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. 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.
A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on ALK. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $70.00 target price (up from $60.00) on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Monday, January 12th. Citigroup decreased their price target on Alaska Air Group from $69.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 20th. Susquehanna raised their price target on Alaska Air Group from $52.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $71.00 price target on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald set a $63.00 price target on Alaska Air Group in a report on Friday, January 30th. One investment 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 given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $63.67.
Get Our Latest Stock Report on ALK
Alaska Air Group Price Performance
Shares of Alaska Air Group stock opened at $39.92 on Friday. Alaska Air Group has a one year low of $33.03 and a one year high of $65.88. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $46.25 and its 200 day moving average is $47.07. The stock has a market cap of $4.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.50.
Insider Activity
In other news, EVP Andrew R. Harrison sold 14,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.81, for a total transaction of $794,745.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,195 shares in the company, valued at $1,106,887.95. This trade represents a 41.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Kyle B. Levine sold 2,945 shares of the firm’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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,259,039.54. The trade was a 12.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 56,945 shares of company stock worth $3,204,569 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Alaska Air Group by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,059,404 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $556,288,000 after acquiring an additional 110,628 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Alaska Air Group by 0.9% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,273,084 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $312,280,000 after acquiring an additional 56,225 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its position in Alaska Air Group by 86.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 3,175,350 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $159,720,000 after acquiring an additional 1,475,350 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in Alaska Air Group by 24.8% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,962,620 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $149,020,000 after acquiring an additional 588,119 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Alaska Air Group by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,149,777 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $108,166,000 after acquiring an additional 35,352 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.90% of the company’s stock.
More Alaska Air Group News
Here are the key news stories impacting Alaska Air Group this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Alaska Airlines returned as the official airline of Coachella and Stagecoach — a marketing push that highlights network strength to Palm Springs and can support bookings on festival routes. PR Newswire
- Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research raised some long-range EPS estimates (Q4 2026 and FY2028) even while maintaining a “Strong Sell” rating — a mixed signal: improved distant-year numbers but persistent near-term skepticism. Zacks / Market commentary
- Neutral Sentiment: Company and market headlines are being aggregated broadly (e.g., CNN stock pages), which can amplify volatility but add no single new catalyst. CNN: Alaska Air Group
- Negative Sentiment: ALK updated Q1 2026 EPS guidance to -2.00 to -1.50 vs. consensus of -0.94 — a material downside surprise that signals weaker near-term demand and/or higher unit costs; this is the primary driver of negative sentiment and downward pressure on the stock today.
- Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded ALK to “Strong Sell” and added it to its Rank #5 list, citing rising fuel costs, weaker demand in key markets and estimate cuts — analyst posture now tilts bearish and can prompt selling or lower target prices. Zacks: Avoid ALK
- Negative Sentiment: Broader concerns flagged by analysts — rising fuel costs and soft demand — increase execution risk into spring; investors will watch bookings, unit revenue trends and any management commentary on capacity or fuel hedges for signs of stabilization. Zacks: Analyst coverage overview
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.