Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) Shares Bought by V Square Quantitative Management LLC

V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 3.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,822 shares of the airline’s stock after buying an additional 369 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $330,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Southwest Airlines by 186.7% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 883 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 575 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Southwest Airlines during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its stake in Southwest Airlines by 41.1% during the 3rd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,184 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 345 shares during the last quarter. New England Capital Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Southwest Airlines by 35.3% during the 3rd quarter. New England Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,923 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 502 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JFS Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Southwest Airlines by 120.9% during the 3rd quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,001 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 1,095 shares during the last quarter. 80.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Southwest Airlines

In related news, insider Linda B. Rutherford sold 3,849 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.40, for a total value of $132,405.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 89,376 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,074,534.40. This trade represents a 4.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Southwest Airlines Stock Performance

Shares of LUV stock opened at $30.21 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $17.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.95, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.14. The business’s 50 day moving average is $32.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $30.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 12-month low of $23.58 and a 12-month high of $36.12.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The airline reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.11. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 5.77% and a net margin of 1.69%. Analysts expect that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 1.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.38%. Southwest Airlines’s payout ratio is currently 100.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Bank of America reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $31.00 price target (down previously from $33.00) on shares of Southwest Airlines in a research note on Friday, January 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “sell” rating and set a $28.00 price target on shares of Southwest Airlines in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Citigroup reiterated a “sell” rating and set a $29.50 price target (down previously from $31.50) on shares of Southwest Airlines in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Argus upgraded Southwest Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $35.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on Southwest Airlines from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $31.78.

Southwest Airlines Profile

Southwest Airlines Co operates as a passenger airline company that provides scheduled air transportation services in the United States and near-international markets. As of December 31, 2023, the company operated a total fleet of 817 Boeing 737 aircraft; and served 121 destinations in 42 states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, as well as ten near-international countries, including Mexico, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Aruba, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Belize, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and Turks and Caicos.