Swiss National Bank Sells 19,400 Shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV)

Swiss National Bank decreased its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 4.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 423,100 shares of the airline’s stock after selling 19,400 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $14,225,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. 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. increased its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 575 shares during the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC lifted its position 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 worth $35,000 after buying an additional 345 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Southwest Airlines by 90.0% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,642 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 778 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 34.1% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,770 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. 80.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Southwest Airlines

In other news, Director C. David Cush acquired 5,000 shares of Southwest Airlines stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $30.03 per share, for a total transaction of $150,150.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 19,011 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $570,900.33. This trade represents a 35.69 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Southwest Airlines Stock Performance

Shares of Southwest Airlines stock opened at $33.63 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. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $31.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $31.31. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 52 week low of $23.58 and a 52 week high of $36.12. The company has a market capitalization of $19.93 billion, a PE ratio of 46.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.10.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 1.69% and a return on equity of 5.77%. As a group, analysts expect that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 12th. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 100.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on LUV shares. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $38.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup reaffirmed 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. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $42.00 price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Bank of America restated an “underperform” rating and set a $31.00 target price (down from $33.00) on shares of Southwest Airlines in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Argus upgraded Southwest Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $35.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Southwest Airlines presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $32.02.

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.