Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV Stock Holdings Decreased by Verdence Capital Advisors LLC

Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lessened its position in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 85.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,789 shares of the airline’s stock after selling 58,551 shares during the quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $408,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Apollon Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Southwest Airlines by 15.2% in the 3rd quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,301 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $471,000 after buying an additional 1,495 shares in the last quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Southwest Airlines by 12.7% during the 3rd quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,904 shares of the airline’s stock worth $204,000 after purchasing an additional 552 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in Southwest Airlines by 46.9% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 13,055 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $544,000 after purchasing an additional 4,165 shares during the last quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI lifted its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 109.6% in the 3rd quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 18,967 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $790,000 after purchasing an additional 9,920 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Anderson Hoagland & Co. raised its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 5.6% in the third quarter. Anderson Hoagland & Co. now owns 86,430 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $3,633,000 after buying an additional 4,611 shares during the last quarter. 80.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on LUV shares. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Southwest Airlines from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. UBS Group increased their target price on Southwest Airlines from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 23rd. Wall Street Zen cut Southwest Airlines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, September 5th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $65.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 11th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Southwest Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $47.51.

Southwest Airlines Trading Down 2.9%

NYSE:LUV opened at $42.41 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $40.75 and its two-hundred day moving average is $43.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.76 billion, a PE ratio of 16.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 1.16. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 12 month low of $29.26 and a 12 month high of $55.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.47 and a quick ratio of 0.40.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The airline reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.09. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 18.05% and a net margin of 3.34%. The business had revenue of $8.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.25 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.11 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 21.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 2.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines Co is a major U.S. passenger airline headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The company provides scheduled air transportation for leisure and business travelers, with service connecting cities throughout the United States and selected destinations in Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America.

Southwest is known for its predominantly domestic network and point-to-point operating model. In addition to passenger flights, the company offers ancillary services and air cargo transportation.