Vanguard Group Inc. Boosts Stake in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV)

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 0.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 68,653,945 shares of the airline’s stock after acquiring an additional 426,878 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 11.45% of Southwest Airlines worth $2,308,146,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LUV. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Southwest Airlines by 186.7% in the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 883 shares of the airline’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 575 shares in the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its position in Southwest Airlines by 41.1% during the third quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,184 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 345 shares during the last quarter. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines in the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines in the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,000. Institutional investors own 80.82% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Southwest Airlines

In related news, Director C. David Cush purchased 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $30.03 per share, for a total transaction of $150,150.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 19,011 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $570,900.33. This represents a 35.69 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LUV has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Melius Research upgraded shares of Southwest Airlines from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $28.00 to $34.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Southwest Airlines from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $42.00 price target on shares of Southwest Airlines in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Argus upgraded Southwest Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $35.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Raymond James increased their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 30th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $32.52.

Southwest Airlines Trading Down 0.8 %

LUV opened at $34.38 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 52 week low of $23.58 and a 52 week high of $36.12. The stock has a market cap of $20.38 billion, a PE ratio of 47.75, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.10. The business has a 50 day moving average of $31.27 and a 200-day moving average of $31.48.

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 net margin of 1.69% and a return on equity of 5.77%. Equities research analysts predict that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be issued a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.09%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 100.00%.

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.