Meeder Asset Management Inc. Increases Stake in Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 49.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 50,792 shares of the airline’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,704 shares during the quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $1,908,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MCF Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 28.5% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 915 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors boosted its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 1.0% during the fourth 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 boosted its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 7.5% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC increased 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 valued at $682,000 after buying an additional 235 shares during the period. Finally, Transcend Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,726 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $278,000 after buying an additional 272 shares during the period. 80.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on LUV. Wall Street Zen upgraded Southwest Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, July 5th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Southwest Airlines from $45.00 to $58.50 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Susquehanna boosted their price target on Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Southwest Airlines from $58.00 to $56.00 in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Argus decreased their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $55.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $49.58.

Southwest Airlines Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:LUV opened at $48.33 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $45.42 and its 200 day moving average is $44.17. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 1 year low of $28.98 and a 1 year high of $55.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.18, a P/E/G ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.48 and a quick ratio of 0.41.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The airline reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45. The company had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.46 billion. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 10.66% and a net margin of 2.83%.The firm’s revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted ($0.13) earnings per share. Southwest Airlines has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.350-0.650 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 3.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, June 11th were given a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 11th. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.45%.

About Southwest Airlines

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.