Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV – Free Report) by 105.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 592,515 shares of the airline’s stock after purchasing an additional 303,922 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. owned approximately 0.12% of Southwest Airlines worth $22,261,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in LUV. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines in the 4th quarter valued at $172,038,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new stake in Southwest Airlines during the 4th quarter worth about $143,450,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Southwest Airlines by 7.0% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 40,200,530 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $1,661,488,000 after purchasing an additional 2,626,853 shares during the last quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC purchased a new stake in Southwest Airlines during the 4th quarter valued at about $55,320,000. Finally, Nearwater Capital Markets Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 75.0% in the fourth quarter. Nearwater Capital Markets Ltd now owns 2,800,000 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $115,724,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200,000 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.82% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of equities research analysts recently commented on LUV shares. Zacks Research raised Southwest Airlines from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. BNP Paribas Exane increased their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $24.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $53.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, HSBC raised shares of Southwest Airlines from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $24.40 to $36.10 in a report on Friday, April 24th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $49.55.
Southwest Airlines Trading Up 2.3%
Shares of NYSE:LUV opened at $46.41 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 12-month low of $28.98 and a 12-month high of $55.11. The business has a 50 day moving average of $46.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $44.35. The company has a market capitalization of $22.71 billion, a PE ratio of 28.47, a PEG ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.12.
Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The airline reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.42. The business had revenue of $8.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.58 billion. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 2.78% and a return on equity of 14.15%. The business’s revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.43 EPS. Southwest Airlines has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.250-4.250 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.500-0.750 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 3.51 EPS for the current year.
Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, June 11th were given a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 11th. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.17%.
About Southwest Airlines
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.
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