Alaska Air falls after co sees Q3 profit at lower end of prior forecast

** Alaska Air ALK.N shares fall nearly 2% in premarket trading to ~$62.3

** Carrier now expects Q3 adjusted EPS at the low end of previously guided range of $1.00 to $1.40 per share

** Says high fuel costs and operational challenges during the summer have pressured unit costs

** Expects to pay up to $2.55 per gallon for fuel, up from its earlier projections of about $2.45 per gallon

** Two of 16 brokerages rate the stock "strong buy", 13 "buy" and one "hold"; their median PT is $68 - data compiled by LSEG

** As of last close, shares down about 2% YTD