Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV Shares Acquired by CenterBook Partners LP

CenterBook Partners LP lifted its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 116.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 25,358 shares of the airline’s stock after buying an additional 13,655 shares during the quarter. CenterBook Partners LP’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $1,048,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of LUV. Cibc World Market Inc. raised its stake in Southwest Airlines by 12.6% during the third quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 1,916,003 shares of the airline’s stock worth $61,140,000 after purchasing an additional 214,092 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 2,468.4% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,752,352 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $155,085,000 after buying an additional 3,606,255 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB purchased a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,968,000. North Dakota State Investment Board acquired a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,189,000. Finally, Altfest L J & Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,403,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.82% of the company’s stock.

Southwest Airlines Trading Down 4.3%

Shares of NYSE LUV opened at $41.31 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.19 billion, a PE ratio of 26.65, a PEG ratio of 0.47 and a beta of 1.15. Southwest Airlines Co. has a twelve month low of $28.98 and a twelve month high of $55.11. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $40.18 and a 200-day simple moving average of $42.13.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The airline reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.45. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 10.66% and a net margin of 2.83%.The firm had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.13) EPS. Southwest Airlines’s revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. Southwest Airlines has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.350-0.650 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, June 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 11th. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.45%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Southwest Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, June 6th. UBS Group raised their target price on Southwest Airlines from $49.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Southwest Airlines from $42.00 to $37.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Argus cut their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $55.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $42.00 to $40.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $44.21.

Southwest Airlines Profile

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.