Handelsbanken Fonder AB Sells 161,637 Shares of Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Handelsbanken Fonder AB cut its position in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 91.2% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 15,626 shares of the airline’s stock after selling 161,637 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $803,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of LUV. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC bought a new stake in Southwest Airlines in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $232,000. Paladin Wealth LLC grew its position in Southwest Airlines by 16.1% during the second quarter. Paladin Wealth LLC now owns 13,876 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $714,000 after acquiring an additional 1,920 shares during the last quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines during the second quarter worth approximately $279,000. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 21.8% in the 2nd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 9,647 shares of the airline’s stock worth $496,000 after acquiring an additional 1,727 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 19.3% in the 2nd quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 539,612 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $27,747,000 after purchasing an additional 87,146 shares in the last quarter. 80.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Southwest Airlines Trading Down 2.5%

LUV opened at $41.45 on Thursday. Southwest Airlines Co. has a one year low of $29.26 and a one year high of $55.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.49 and a quick ratio of 0.42. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $47.47 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $44.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.43, a PEG ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.14.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The airline reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.42. The firm had revenue of $8.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.58 billion. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 14.15% and a net margin of 2.78%.The business’s revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous 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. Analysts predict that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 3.41 EPS for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 3rd. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Southwest Airlines’s payout ratio is presently 44.17%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. HSBC upgraded shares of Southwest Airlines from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $24.40 to $36.10 in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Susquehanna raised their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Southwest Airlines from $58.50 to $60.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on Southwest Airlines from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Southwest Airlines has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $49.55.

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.