Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) Shares Purchased by U S Global Investors Inc.

U S Global Investors Inc. grew its stake in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 3,457,661 shares of the airline’s stock after buying an additional 56,757 shares during the period. Southwest Airlines accounts for about 11.5% of U S Global Investors Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest position. U S Global Investors Inc.’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $116,247,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Southwest Airlines by 186.7% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 883 shares of the airline’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 575 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Southwest Airlines during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 41.1% in 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 period. Finally, New England Capital Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 35.3% in the 3rd quarter. New England Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,923 shares of the airline’s stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 502 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.82% of the company’s stock.

Southwest Airlines Stock Down 0.2 %

Southwest Airlines stock opened at $30.62 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $31.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $30.94. Southwest Airlines Co. has a twelve month low of $23.58 and a twelve month high of $36.12. The stock has a market cap of $18.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.53, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.14.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The airline reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, analysts expect that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 1.55 EPS for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be paid a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.35%. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 100.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $42.00 price target on shares of Southwest Airlines in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “sell” rating and set a $29.50 price objective (down previously from $31.50) on shares of Southwest Airlines in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Barclays increased their price target on Southwest Airlines from $32.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “sell” rating and set a $28.00 target price on shares of Southwest Airlines in a report on Friday, November 15th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $31.78.

Insider Buying and Selling at Southwest Airlines

In other news, insider Linda B. Rutherford sold 3,849 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.40, for a total transaction of $132,405.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 89,376 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,074,534.40. The trade was a 4.13 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Southwest Airlines Company 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.