Securian Asset Management Inc. Sells 905 Shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV)

Securian Asset Management Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 32,232 shares of the airline’s stock after selling 905 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $1,084,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of LUV. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 32.8% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,298 shares of the airline’s stock worth $111,000 after purchasing an additional 814 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 9.0% in the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 13,621 shares of the airline’s stock worth $458,000 after purchasing an additional 1,124 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 14.7% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 75,531 shares of the airline’s stock worth $2,539,000 after purchasing an additional 9,668 shares during the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC grew its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 34,267 shares of the airline’s stock worth $1,152,000 after purchasing an additional 533 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AGF Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines in the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,698,000. 80.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Southwest Airlines Stock Performance

Shares of Southwest Airlines stock opened at $31.74 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.08, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.10. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $31.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.21. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 12 month low of $23.58 and a 12 month high of $36.12.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The airline reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 forecast that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

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 given a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 12th. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 100.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on LUV. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $42.00 price target on shares of Southwest Airlines in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Argus upgraded shares of Southwest Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $35.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Susquehanna cut their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $38.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $31.72.

Insider Transactions at Southwest Airlines

In related news, Director C. David Cush purchased 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $30.03 per share, with a total value of $150,150.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 19,011 shares in the company, valued at $570,900.33. This trade represents a 35.69 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.