CreativeOne Wealth LLC Increases Stock Position in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV)

CreativeOne Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 19.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 12,803 shares of the airline’s stock after buying an additional 2,087 shares during the quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $374,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LUV. Raymond James & Associates raised its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 32.4% in the 4th quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 506,762 shares of the airline’s stock worth $14,635,000 after purchasing an additional 124,054 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 27.2% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 12,236 shares of the airline’s stock worth $351,000 after buying an additional 2,620 shares during the period. Gradient Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 37.8% during the 4th quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 378,428 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $10,929,000 after buying an additional 103,834 shares in the last quarter. Clarus Wealth Advisors acquired a new stake in Southwest Airlines in the 4th quarter valued at $244,000. Finally, Compton Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Southwest Airlines in the 4th quarter worth $209,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.82% of the company’s stock.

Southwest Airlines Trading Down 3.0 %

Shares of Southwest Airlines stock traded down $0.85 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $27.23. The stock had a trading volume of 13,132,906 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,055,514. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $27.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $29.20. The firm has a market cap of $16.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 12-month low of $21.91 and a 12-month high of $35.18.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The airline reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.07. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 5.92% and a net margin of 0.41%. The company had revenue of $7.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.32 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.09 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 0.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 19th were given a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.64%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 18th. Southwest Airlines’s payout ratio is 114.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. HSBC assumed coverage on shares of Southwest Airlines in a report on Monday, May 13th. They set a “hold” rating and a $27.80 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group cut Southwest Airlines from a “hold” rating to an “underperform” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $28.00 to $20.00 in a report on Monday, April 29th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $26.00 to $19.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Citigroup raised their target price on Southwest Airlines from $27.50 to $29.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, June 17th. Finally, Melius reiterated a “sell” rating and set a $26.00 price target on shares of Southwest Airlines in a research report on Monday, June 10th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $28.88.

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.