Heartland Advisors Inc. Sells 34,443 Shares of Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Heartland Advisors Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 39.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 52,008 shares of the airline’s stock after selling 34,443 shares during the quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $1,660,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Southwest Airlines by 13.6% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,218,086 shares of the airline’s stock worth $389,879,000 after buying an additional 1,459,235 shares during the period. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 10,763,935 shares of the airline’s stock worth $349,182,000 after acquiring an additional 98,290 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 2,403.8% during the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 10,120,368 shares of the airline’s stock worth $328,305,000 after purchasing an additional 9,716,160 shares during the period. Cibc World Market Inc. grew its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 12.6% during the 3rd quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 1,916,003 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $61,140,000 after purchasing an additional 214,092 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in Southwest Airlines by 30.1% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 1,406,652 shares of the airline’s stock worth $45,632,000 after purchasing an additional 325,030 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.82% of the company’s stock.

Southwest Airlines Price Performance

LUV opened at $54.18 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $26.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 64.50, a PEG ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 12-month low of $23.82 and a 12-month high of $55.11. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $44.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $36.73.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The airline reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $7.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.51 billion. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 1.57% and a return on equity of 6.18%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.56 earnings per share. Southwest Airlines has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.000- EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.450- EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, March 12th will be paid a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Southwest Airlines’s payout ratio is 85.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on LUV shares. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Southwest Airlines from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Barclays raised Southwest Airlines from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $34.00 to $56.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $54.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. BNP Paribas Exane increased their target price on Southwest Airlines from $19.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Southwest Airlines in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Southwest Airlines presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $48.14.

More Southwest Airlines News

Here are the key news stories impacting Southwest Airlines this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UBS upgraded LUV from Neutral to Buy and raised its 12?month price target to $73 (from $51), citing meaningful earnings upside from the carrier’s seating and fee initiatives — a direct driver of today’s rally. UBS upgrade report
• Positive Sentiment: Southwest announced an overhaul introducing assigned seats, checked?bag fees, extra?legroom options and plans for Starlink Wi?Fi — changes designed to lift ancillary revenue and margins if executed well. Overhaul details
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentary (Zacks and others) point to upward earnings?estimate revisions and improving fundamentals that support further share gains if execution continues. Zacks analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Market context: coverage pieces and pre?market movers stories (Benzinga/MSN) amplified the reaction, so some of today’s move reflects headlines and momentum rather than fresh company results. Market movers writeup
• Negative Sentiment: Risks include execution and customer reaction to fees, plus Southwest’s recent quarterly revenue slightly missed consensus and margins remain thin — meaning upside depends on successful rollout and mix improvement. Notes on risks and results

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.