Should Investors Avoid Alaska Air Stock Post Bearish Q4 Guidance?

Core Insights - Alaska Air Group, Inc. (ALK) has issued disappointing fourth-quarter 2025 guidance due to various operational challenges, including outages, shutdown-related losses, and increased fuel costs [1][3][22] Financial Performance - The company anticipates fourth-quarter adjusted earnings per share (EPS) to be around 10 cents, a significant drop from the previous estimate of 40 cents [4][9] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter EPS is currently at 28 cents [4] - Unit revenues are expected to increase by 1%, down from prior expectations of low single-digit growth year-over-year [5] - Capacity is projected to rise by 2%, slightly lower than the previous guidance of 2%-3% year-over-year [5] - Consolidated operating costs per available seat mile (excluding fuel and special items) are now expected to increase by 3%, compared to earlier expectations of low single-digit growth [6] Operational Challenges - The internal IT outage and cloud service provider issues are estimated to impact earnings by 25 cents per share [3] - The government shutdown has resulted in lost revenue, contributing an estimated 15 cents per share impact, along with higher fuel costs also contributing 15 cents [3][7] - The shutdown led to nearly 600 flight cancellations, affecting around 40,000 guests [7] Market Sentiment - The negative sentiment surrounding ALK stock is reflected in downward revisions of earnings estimates for the fourth quarter of 2025 and full-year 2025 and 2026 [8] - The stock has seen a decline in earnings estimates over the past 60 days, with a notable drop of 68.89% for the current quarter [10] Valuation Perspective - ALK is currently trading at a discount compared to the industry, with a forward 12-month price-to-sales ratio of 0.38X, lower than the industry average of 0.54X [19] - The stock's valuation is considered attractive, supported by a Value Score of A [19] Conclusion - The combination of operational challenges and negative earnings revisions suggests that the negatives surrounding Alaska Air stock outweigh its modernization efforts and attractive valuation, leading to a cautious outlook for investors [22][23]