Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. Makes New Investment in Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 63,000 shares of the airline’s stock, valued at approximately $2,010,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. raised its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 7.1% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 4,690 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $148,000 after acquiring an additional 310 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 1.4% in the second quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 24,857 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $806,000 after purchasing an additional 333 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 2.4% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 14,285 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $456,000 after purchasing an additional 341 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Southwest Airlines by 6.1% in the second quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,547 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $212,000 after purchasing an additional 374 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wallace Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in Southwest Airlines by 3.6% during the second quarter. Wallace Advisory Group LLC now owns 11,050 shares of the airline’s stock worth $371,000 after buying an additional 386 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.82% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LUV has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. BNP Paribas Exane upped their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $19.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Barclays raised shares of Southwest Airlines from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $34.00 to $56.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Seaport Research Partners boosted their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $46.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $40.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Southwest Airlines currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $42.37.

Southwest Airlines Stock Performance

NYSE:LUV opened at $41.33 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $39.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $35.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. Southwest Airlines Co. has a twelve month low of $23.82 and a twelve month high of $45.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 63.59, a PEG ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.16.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 26th were given a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 26th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 110.77%.

Southwest Airlines Company 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.