Rep. Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. Purchases Shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV)

Representative Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. (D-California) recently bought shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV). In a filing disclosed on February 11th, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $1,001 and $15,000 in Southwest Airlines stock on January 24th. The trade occurred in the Representative's "150 MAIN STREET TRUST > BANK OF AMERICA" account.

Representative Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of ICF International NASDAQ: ICFI on 2/3/2025.
• Purchased $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of CACI International NYSE: CACI on 1/31/2025.
• Purchased $50,001 - $100,000 in shares of Hawaiian Electric Industries NYSE: HE on 1/31/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Broadcom NASDAQ: AVGO on 1/30/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Intuitive Surgical NASDAQ: ISRG on 1/30/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Agios Pharmaceuticals NASDAQ: AGIO on 1/29/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of SpringWorks Therapeutics NASDAQ: SWTX on 1/29/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Paragon 28 NYSE: FNA on 1/29/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy NYSE: USPH on 1/29/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Crinetics Pharmaceuticals NASDAQ: CRNX on 1/29/2025.

Southwest Airlines Price Performance

Shares of LUV stock traded up $0.28 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $30.21. 7,017,028 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,896,008. The stock's 50-day moving average is $32.44 and its 200-day moving average is $30.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market cap of $17.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.14. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 52 week low of $23.58 and a 52 week high of $36.12.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The airline reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.11. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 5.77% and a net margin of 1.69%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 1.59 EPS for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be given a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.38%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. Southwest Airlines's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 100.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Southwest Airlines

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LUV. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 46.2% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 30,082,719 shares of the airline's stock worth $932,894,000 after purchasing an additional 9,504,201 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 608.5% during the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 3,623,333 shares of the airline's stock worth $107,359,000 after purchasing an additional 3,111,946 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC raised its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 6,414.5% during the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 3,006,000 shares of the airline's stock worth $89,068,000 after purchasing an additional 2,959,857 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI raised its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 1,327.7% during the fourth quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 2,840,529 shares of the airline's stock worth $95,499,000 after purchasing an additional 2,641,564 shares during the period. Finally, Sound Shore Management Inc. CT acquired a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the fourth quarter worth about $85,262,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.82% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on LUV shares. Raymond James increased their target price on Southwest Airlines from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, December 30th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $42.00 price target on shares of Southwest Airlines in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "sell" rating and issued a $28.00 price target on shares of Southwest Airlines in a report on Friday, November 15th. StockNews.com upgraded Southwest Airlines from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Southwest Airlines from $20.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $31.78.

Insider Transactions at Southwest Airlines

In related news, insider Linda B. Rutherford sold 3,849 shares of Southwest Airlines stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.40, for a total value of $132,405.60. Following the sale, the insider now owns 89,376 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,074,534.40. This trade represents a 4.13 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Representative Cisneros

Gil Cisneros (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing California's 31st Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2025. His current term ends on January 3, 2027. Cisneros (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent California's 31st Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election. Gil Cisneros served in the U.S. Navy as a supply officer from 1994 to 2004. Cisneros earned a bachelor's degree in political science from George Washington University in 1994, a master's in business administration from Regis University in 2002, and a master's degree in urban education policy from Brown University in 2015. His career experience includes working as a logistics manager for Frito-Lay. In 2010, Cisneros won the lottery and became involved in activism and philanthropy, founding a scholarship program for local high school students. In 2021, President Joe Biden (D) appointed Cisneros as under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness.

Southwest Airlines Company 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.