CenterBook Partners LP Boosts Stake in Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

CenterBook Partners LP increased its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 116.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 25,358 shares of the airline’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,655 shares during the period. CenterBook Partners LP’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $1,048,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of LUV. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Southwest Airlines during the fourth quarter worth approximately $172,038,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 43.7% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,335,167 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $393,615,000 after buying an additional 3,753,183 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 2,468.4% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,752,352 shares of the airline’s stock worth $155,085,000 after buying an additional 3,606,255 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $143,450,000. Finally, CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $62,340,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.82% of the company’s stock.

Southwest Airlines Price Performance

Southwest Airlines stock opened at $41.31 on Thursday. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 52-week low of $28.98 and a 52-week high of $55.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.65, a PEG ratio of 0.47 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $40.18 and a 200-day simple moving average of $42.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

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

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on LUV. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $42.00 to $37.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 27th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $57.50 to $45.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $54.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $42.00 to $40.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Southwest Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.