NewEdge Advisors LLC Raises Stock Position in Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 954.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 127,331 shares of the airline’s stock after acquiring an additional 115,251 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $4,784,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LUV. Cozad Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines in the first quarter worth $669,000. Glenmede Trust Co. NA grew its position in Southwest Airlines by 1.5% during the first quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 107,640 shares of the airline’s stock worth $4,044,000 after buying an additional 1,583 shares in the last quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Southwest Airlines by 40.7% during the first quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC now owns 7,070 shares of the airline’s stock worth $266,000 after buying an additional 2,046 shares in the last quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Southwest Airlines in the 1st quarter worth about $134,000. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. increased its stake in Southwest Airlines by 9.6% in the 1st quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 168,858 shares of the airline’s stock worth $6,344,000 after acquiring an additional 14,741 shares during the last quarter. 80.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Southwest Airlines Price Performance

Shares of Southwest Airlines stock opened at $45.53 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.28 billion, a PE ratio of 27.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 1.14. 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 $29.26 and a 12 month high of $55.11. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $47.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $44.58.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The airline reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.42. The business had revenue of $8.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.58 billion. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 14.15% and a net margin of 2.78%.Southwest Airlines’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.43 earnings per share. 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. Sell-side analysts forecast that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 3.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 3rd. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Argus dropped their price target on Southwest Airlines from $55.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price 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. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $58.50 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $47.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $49.55.

Southwest Airlines 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.