Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) Price Target Raised to $45.00

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) had its price target upped by UBS Group from $43.00 to $45.00 in a research report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a neutral rating on the airline’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Southwest Airlines from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Southwest Airlines from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Southwest Airlines from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $40.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $40.22.

Southwest Airlines Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of LUV stock opened at $42.88 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $22.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 65.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.26 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. Southwest Airlines has a 12-month low of $23.82 and a 12-month high of $43.54. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $37.04 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $34.15.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The airline reported ($0.38) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 6.39% and a net margin of 1.38%.The firm had revenue of $6.17 billion during the quarter. Equities analysts anticipate that Southwest Airlines will post 1.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 16th. Investors of record on Friday, December 26th will be issued a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 26th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio is currently 110.77%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southwest Airlines

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in LUV. Ameriflex Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 7.1% during the second quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 4,690 shares of the airline’s stock worth $148,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its stake in Southwest Airlines by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 24,857 shares of the airline’s stock worth $806,000 after purchasing an additional 333 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 14,285 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $456,000 after buying an additional 341 shares in the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 3.3% during the third quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 10,791 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $344,000 after buying an additional 343 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zacks Investment Management boosted its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 0.4% during the third quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 83,070 shares of the airline’s stock worth $2,651,000 after acquiring an additional 348 shares during the last quarter. 80.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines Co is a U.S.-based low-cost carrier that operates a point-to-point domestic and near-international airline network. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the company primarily flies Boeing 737 aircraft and offers no-frills, single-class service designed to keep fares competitive. Southwest’s operating model emphasizes high aircraft utilization, quick turnaround times and an open seating policy, allowing customers to board and select seats on a first-come, first-served basis.

Founded in 1967 by Herb Kelleher and Rollin King as Air Southwest Company, Southwest began commercial service in 1971, initially connecting Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.