Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV Shares Sold by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company decreased its holdings in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 587,410 shares of the airline’s stock after selling 31,268 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $30,205,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. SHP Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Southwest Airlines in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Southwest Airlines in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Archer Investment Corp bought a new position in Southwest Airlines in the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Fiduciary Financial Advisors acquired a new position in Southwest Airlines during the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. 80.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Southwest Airlines Price Performance

Shares of Southwest Airlines stock opened at $39.19 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $44.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $43.16. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 52 week low of $29.26 and a 52 week high of $55.11. The stock has a market cap of $19.17 billion, a PE ratio of 24.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 1.13.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The airline reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.42. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 2.78% and a return on equity of 14.15%. The company had revenue of $8.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.43 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 3.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 3rd. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.17%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on LUV shares. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Southwest Airlines from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Southwest Airlines from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial cut their target price on Southwest Airlines from $60.00 to $54.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Southwest Airlines has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $48.05.

Southwest Airlines Company Profile

Southwest Airlines Co is a major U.S. passenger airline headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Operating under the Southwest Airlines brand, the company provides scheduled air transportation for domestic and international travelers and also offers air cargo services.

Southwest was founded in 1967 and began commercial service in 1971, initially connecting Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. The airline expanded its network across the United States and now serves numerous destinations in the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and other nearby international markets.