Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) Shares Bought by Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 11.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 662,243 shares of the airline’s stock after acquiring an additional 65,403 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.11% of Southwest Airlines worth $22,258,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Southwest Airlines in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 186.7% in 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 during the period. TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 41.1% in the third quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,184 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 345 shares in the last quarter. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Southwest Airlines during the fourth quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in Southwest Airlines in the fourth quarter worth $53,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.82% of the company’s stock.

Southwest Airlines Stock Performance

Southwest Airlines stock opened at $33.58 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $31.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $31.56. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 52 week low of $23.58 and a 52 week high of $36.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.63, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.10. 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 (NYSE:LUV) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 anticipate that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.14%. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 100.00%.

Insider Transactions at Southwest Airlines

In other news, Director C. David Cush purchased 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $30.03 per share, with a total value of $150,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 19,011 shares in the company, valued at approximately $570,900.33. The trade was a 35.69 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LUV has been the topic of several research analyst reports. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Susquehanna lowered their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $38.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Melius Research raised shares of Southwest Airlines from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and increased their target price for the company from $28.00 to $34.00 in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Raymond James upped their price target on Southwest Airlines from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 30th. Finally, Argus raised Southwest Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $35.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $32.54.

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.