Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH Sells 15,722 Shares of Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH decreased its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 1.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,243,271 shares of the airline’s stock after selling 15,722 shares during the quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $39,673,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of LUV. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 2,403.8% in the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 10,120,368 shares of the airline’s stock worth $328,305,000 after buying an additional 9,716,160 shares during the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 1st quarter valued at about $56,244,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines in the 2nd quarter valued at about $41,663,000. Crake Asset Management LLP purchased a new position in Southwest Airlines in the second quarter worth about $33,738,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its position in Southwest Airlines by 315.3% in the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 1,247,837 shares of the airline’s stock worth $40,480,000 after acquiring an additional 947,346 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.82% of the company’s stock.

Southwest Airlines Stock Performance

Shares of Southwest Airlines stock opened at $41.06 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $35.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $33.60. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 52 week low of $23.82 and a 52 week high of $43.54. The company has a market capitalization of $21.24 billion, a PE ratio of 63.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.17.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The airline reported ($0.38) earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $6.17 billion for the quarter. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 6.39% and a net margin of 1.38%. As a group, analysts expect that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 26th will be given a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 26th. Southwest Airlines’s payout ratio is 110.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on LUV shares. UBS Group restated a “hold” rating and set a $43.00 price objective (up from $33.00) on shares of Southwest Airlines in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Southwest Airlines from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Monday, September 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Southwest Airlines from $40.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Southwest Airlines in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $45.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Southwest Airlines currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $39.44.

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.