Legal & General Group Plc Acquires Shares of 740,350 Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm bought 740,350 shares of the airline’s stock, valued at approximately $38,069,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. MCF Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 28.5% in 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 increased its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 1.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 7.5% in 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 holdings in Southwest Airlines by 1.5% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its position in Southwest Airlines by 1.4% during 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 hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Southwest Airlines Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of LUV stock opened at $39.70 on Friday. Southwest Airlines Co. has a fifty-two week low of $29.26 and a fifty-two week high of $55.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.49. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $46.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $44.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.36, a PEG ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 1.14.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The airline reported $0.94 earnings per share (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 analyst estimates of $8.58 billion. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 2.78% and a return on equity of 14.15%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm 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. Research analysts expect that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 3.32 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, September 24th. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.17%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on LUV shares. Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Weiss Ratings raised Southwest Airlines from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Barclays raised their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $56.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Southwest Airlines from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.