Towle & Co. Sells 67,728 Shares of Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Towle & Co. reduced its holdings in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 17.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 331,752 shares of the airline’s stock after selling 67,728 shares during the period. Southwest Airlines makes up about 2.7% of Towle & Co.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Towle & Co. owned about 0.06% of Southwest Airlines worth $10,586,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of LUV. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines in the second quarter worth $25,000. Corsicana & Co. bought a new stake in Southwest Airlines in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Southwest Airlines in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 81.4% during the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,056 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 474 shares during the last quarter. 80.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on LUV. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Southwest Airlines from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $54.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Southwest Airlines from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $36.00 to $60.00 in a research report on Friday, January 9th. TD Cowen raised their target price on Southwest Airlines from $42.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners lifted their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $57.00 to $58.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Southwest Airlines has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $48.14.

Southwest Airlines Price Performance

NYSE:LUV opened at $52.10 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The firm has a market cap of $25.60 billion, a PE ratio of 62.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 1.15. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 12 month low of $23.82 and a 12 month high of $55.11. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $45.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $37.12.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The airline reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $7.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.51 billion. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 1.57% and a return on equity of 6.18%. Southwest Airlines’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $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 analysts anticipate that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 1.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Shareholders 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 1.4%. Southwest Airlines’s payout ratio is currently 85.71%.

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.