GAMMA Investing LLC Acquires Shares of 4,085 Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV)

GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 4,085 shares of the airline’s stock, valued at approximately $122,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LUV. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH boosted its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 106.5% during the third quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 2,556,536 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $69,205,000 after purchasing an additional 1,318,361 shares in the last quarter. U S Global Investors Inc. boosted its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 24.9% during the fourth quarter. U S Global Investors Inc. now owns 6,210,347 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $179,355,000 after purchasing an additional 1,238,468 shares in the last quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $13,193,000. Great Lakes Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 34.9% in the 3rd quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 1,619,499 shares of the airline’s stock worth $43,840,000 after acquiring an additional 418,624 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp acquired a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines in the 4th quarter worth approximately $10,277,000. 80.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Southwest Airlines Stock Performance

Shares of Southwest Airlines stock opened at $27.03 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $30.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $28.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.90, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.15. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 52 week low of $21.91 and a 52 week high of $39.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.09.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The airline reported ($0.36) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.34) by ($0.02). Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 1.59% and a return on equity of 8.91%. The business had revenue of $6.33 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.42 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.27) EPS. The business’s revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 1.45 EPS for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 6th were given a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.66%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 5th. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio is currently 114.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Evercore ISI reissued an “inline” rating and issued a $35.00 target price on shares of Southwest Airlines in a report on Tuesday, January 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised Southwest Airlines from an “underperform” rating to a “hold” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $20.00 to $28.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Southwest Airlines from $24.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Susquehanna reduced their target price on Southwest Airlines from $30.00 to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on Southwest Airlines in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $36.00 target price on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $31.18.

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.