Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV Shares Sold by Quantitative Investment Management LLC

Quantitative Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 41.4% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 21,858 shares of the airline’s stock after selling 15,425 shares during the period. Quantitative Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $1,123,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LUV. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 203 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors lifted its position in Southwest Airlines by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 21,148 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $843,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its stake in Southwest Airlines by 7.5% during the 4th 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 period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Southwest Airlines by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 16,437 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $682,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the period. Finally, Greenleaf Trust grew its position in Southwest Airlines by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 8,015 shares of the airline’s stock worth $412,000 after purchasing an additional 311 shares during the last quarter. 80.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Southwest Airlines Trading Down 2.8%

Southwest Airlines stock opened at $38.54 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $46.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $43.94. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $18.85 billion, a PE ratio of 23.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 1.14. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 12-month low of $29.26 and a 12-month high of $55.11.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last announced its 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 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 firm’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 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. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 3.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 3rd. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.17%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on LUV. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Southwest Airlines from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Southwest Airlines from $56.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $49.01.

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.