Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC Purchases Shares of 49,600 Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 49,600 shares of the airline’s stock, valued at approximately $1,863,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. SHP Wealth Management bought a new stake in Southwest Airlines in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Optima Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Institutional investors own 80.82% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on LUV shares. Weiss Ratings lowered Southwest Airlines from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Monday, June 8th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $53.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Raymond James Financial increased their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Jefferies Financial Group upped 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, Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Southwest Airlines presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $49.58.

Southwest Airlines Trading Down 2.7%

NYSE:LUV opened at $48.09 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $45.26 and a 200-day moving average price of $44.09. The stock has a market cap of $23.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.02, a P/E/G ratio of 0.47 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a current ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 12 month low of $28.98 and a 12 month high of $55.11.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The airline reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.45. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 2.83% and a return on equity of 10.66%. The company had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.46 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($0.13) earnings per share. Southwest Airlines’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. Southwest Airlines has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.350-0.650 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 3.23 EPS for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 11th were given a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 11th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.45%.

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.