Wealthfront Advisers LLC Acquires New Stake in Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 41,418 shares of the airline’s stock, valued at approximately $2,130,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 100.6% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 39,347 shares of the airline’s stock worth $1,303,000 after purchasing an additional 19,729 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 5.4% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 61,060 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $2,050,000 after buying an additional 3,141 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 7.6% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,459 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $250,000 after buying an additional 527 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 73.4% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,690 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $185,000 after buying an additional 2,408 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 47.4% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 307,602 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $9,979,000 after buying an additional 98,986 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.82% of the company’s stock.

Southwest Airlines Price Performance

Southwest Airlines stock opened at $39.87 on Friday. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 1 year low of $29.26 and a 1 year high of $55.11. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $47.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $44.56. The company has a market cap of $19.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.46, a PEG ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.49.

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

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 3rd. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.17%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on LUV shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Susquehanna increased their price target on Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Raymond James Financial raised their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Weiss Ratings raised Southwest Airlines from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on Southwest Airlines from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $49.55.

Southwest Airlines Company 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.