Sentry Investment Management LLC Sells 362 Shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV)

Sentry Investment Management LLC lowered its position in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 14.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,224 shares of the airline’s stock after selling 362 shares during the quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $75,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 32.9% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 65,831 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $2,105,000 after purchasing an additional 16,293 shares in the last quarter. Olstein Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 33.7% during the 3rd quarter. Olstein Capital Management L.P. now owns 258,000 shares of the airline’s stock worth $7,645,000 after buying an additional 65,000 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC grew its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 6,414.5% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 3,006,000 shares of the airline’s stock worth $89,068,000 after buying an additional 2,959,857 shares during the period. Highland Peak Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines in the 3rd quarter valued at $2,963,000. Finally, Vista Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 4th quarter valued at $614,000. 80.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Southwest Airlines Stock Down 0.2 %

Southwest Airlines stock opened at $30.62 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.92. The stock 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. Southwest Airlines Co. has a fifty-two week low of $23.58 and a fifty-two week high of $36.12. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $31.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $30.94.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The airline reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Research analysts predict that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 1.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LUV has been the subject of a number of research reports. Citigroup restated a “sell” rating and issued a $29.50 price target (down from $31.50) on shares of Southwest Airlines in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Argus raised Southwest Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $35.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Raymond James increased their price target on Southwest Airlines from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 30th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $42.00 price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Bank of America reiterated an “underperform” rating and issued a $31.00 target price (down from $33.00) on shares of Southwest Airlines in a report on Friday, January 17th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $31.78.

Insider Transactions at Southwest Airlines

In related news, insider Linda B. Rutherford sold 3,849 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.40, for a total transaction of $132,405.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 89,376 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,074,534.40. This trade represents a 4.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

About Southwest Airlines

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.