Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Invests $17.39 Million in Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new stake in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 462,903 shares of the airline’s stock, valued at approximately $17,391,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of LUV. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Southwest Airlines by 100.6% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 39,347 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $1,303,000 after buying an additional 19,729 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in Southwest Airlines by 5.4% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 61,060 shares of the airline’s stock worth $2,050,000 after buying an additional 3,141 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 7.6% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,459 shares of the airline’s stock worth $250,000 after acquiring an additional 527 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 73.4% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,690 shares of the airline’s stock worth $185,000 after acquiring an additional 2,408 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 47.4% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 307,602 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $9,979,000 after acquiring an additional 98,986 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.82% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LUV has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Bank of America lowered their price target on Southwest Airlines from $42.00 to $40.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Susquehanna cut their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $55.00 to $42.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Raymond James Financial boosted their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Southwest Airlines from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $46.36.

Southwest Airlines Price Performance

Shares of LUV stock opened at $52.00 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $42.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $43.19. The company has a market capitalization of $25.42 billion, a PE ratio of 33.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.15. Southwest Airlines Co. has a twelve month low of $28.98 and a twelve month high of $55.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The airline reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.45. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 2.83% and a return on equity of 10.66%. The firm had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.46 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.13) EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. Southwest Airlines has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.350-0.650 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 2.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 11th will be given a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 11th. Southwest Airlines’s payout ratio is presently 46.45%.

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.