Invst LLC Makes New $1.06 Million Investment in Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Invst LLC acquired a new stake in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 20,633 shares of the airline’s stock, valued at approximately $1,061,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in LUV. MCF Advisors LLC grew its position in Southwest Airlines by 28.5% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 915 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 203 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors raised its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 21,148 shares of the airline’s stock worth $843,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its stake in Southwest Airlines by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 3,063 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $127,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in Southwest Airlines by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 16,437 shares of the airline’s stock worth $682,000 after buying an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 1.4% in the second quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 24,857 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $806,000 after buying an additional 333 shares during the period. 80.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on LUV. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $53.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Southwest Airlines from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Raymond James Financial dropped their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $60.00 to $54.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Nine 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Southwest Airlines presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $49.01.

Southwest Airlines Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of Southwest Airlines stock opened at $40.87 on Wednesday. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 1 year low of $29.26 and a 1 year high of $55.11. The firm has a market cap of $19.99 billion, a PE ratio of 25.07, a PEG ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 1.14. 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 company has a 50 day simple moving average of $47.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $44.33.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 during 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 quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous 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. Analysts expect that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 3.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The business 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 $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 3rd. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Southwest Airlines’s payout ratio 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.