First Eagle Investment Management LLC Takes $188,000 Position in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV)

First Eagle Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 5,588 shares of the airline’s stock, valued at approximately $188,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of LUV. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 32.9% in the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 65,831 shares of the airline’s stock worth $2,105,000 after buying an additional 16,293 shares during the last quarter. Highland Peak Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,963,000. Vista Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines during the fourth quarter valued at about $614,000. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. raised its stake in Southwest Airlines by 23.6% in the third quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. now owns 99,407 shares of the airline’s stock worth $2,945,000 after buying an additional 19,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in Southwest Airlines during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,751,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.82% of the company’s stock.

Southwest Airlines Trading Up 2.4 %

Southwest Airlines stock opened at $31.74 on Monday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $31.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.24. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 52-week low of $23.58 and a 52-week high of $36.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The company has a market cap 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.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The airline reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.11. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 1.69% and a return on equity of 5.77%. Analysts predict that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 1.55 EPS for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 100.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LUV has been the topic of several research reports. Argus upgraded Southwest Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $35.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup reiterated a “sell” rating and issued a $29.50 price target (down from $31.50) on shares of Southwest Airlines in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. TD Cowen upped their price objective 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. Bank of America reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $31.00 price target (down from $33.00) on shares of Southwest Airlines in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $31.72.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director C. David Cush bought 5,000 shares of Southwest Airlines stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $30.03 per share, with a total value of $150,150.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 19,011 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $570,900.33. The trade was a 35.69 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

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.