Wakefield Asset Management LLLP Takes Position in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV)

Wakefield Asset Management LLLP acquired a new position in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 15,586 shares of the airline’s stock, valued at approximately $524,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Southwest Airlines during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 186.7% during the 4th 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. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Southwest Airlines during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its holdings in 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 buying an additional 345 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in Southwest Airlines by 34.1% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,770 shares of the airline’s stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the period. 80.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Southwest Airlines Price Performance

NYSE:LUV opened at $30.62 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $18.15 billion, a PE ratio of 42.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.14. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $31.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $30.94. 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 12 month low of $23.58 and a 12 month high of $36.12.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last released 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 return on equity of 5.77% and a net margin of 1.69%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 1.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on LUV. Argus raised 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. Bank of America restated an “underperform” rating and issued a $31.00 price target (down from $33.00) on shares of Southwest Airlines in a research report on Friday, January 17th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Citigroup restated a “sell” rating and set a $29.50 price target (down from $31.50) on shares of Southwest Airlines in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $38.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Southwest Airlines presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average 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.