Natixis Advisors LLC Has $8.01 Million Position in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV)

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in Southwest Airlines Co. by 85.7%, owning 238,375 shares valued at approximately $8.01 million as of the end of the most recent quarter.
• Despite positive institutional investment trends, Southwest Airlines' stock price was down 0.1% at $29.77, with a market capitalization of $15.63 billion.
• Southwest Airlines reported a Q2 EPS of $0.43, missing analysts' expectations and indicating a revenue drop of 2.1% year-over-year, along with a declaration for a $2.00 billion stock repurchase plan.

Natixis Advisors LLC raised its stake in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV - Free Report) by 85.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 238,375 shares of the airline's stock after purchasing an additional 110,016 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC's holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $8,005,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of LUV. Quent Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 78.6% in the first quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,472 shares of the airline's stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 648 shares during the last quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. increased its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 370.3% in the fourth quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 1,919 shares of the airline's stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 1,511 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 22.1% in the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 2,161 shares of the airline's stock valued at $73,000 after acquiring an additional 391 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 35.7% in the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,590 shares of the airline's stock valued at $87,000 after acquiring an additional 681 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 23.3% in the first quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,659 shares of the airline's stock valued at $90,000 after acquiring an additional 503 shares in the last quarter. 80.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Southwest Airlines Stock Down 0.1%

LUV stock opened at $29.77 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 12 month low of $23.58 and a 12 month high of $37.96. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $33.42 and a 200-day moving average price of $31.25.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The airline reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.51 by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $7.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.30 billion. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 6.27% and a net margin of 1.43%. The firm's revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.58 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 1.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, July 23rd that permits the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the airline to buy up to 9.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 24th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 3rd will be paid a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 3rd. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Southwest Airlines's dividend payout ratio is currently 109.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on LUV shares. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $26.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $40.00 price target (down from $42.00) on shares of Southwest Airlines in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Southwest Airlines to a "moderate sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. HSBC downgraded shares of Southwest Airlines from a "hold" rating to a "reduce" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Southwest Airlines from an "underperform" rating to a "hold" rating and upped their price target for the company from $24.00 to $33.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $32.75.

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.

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