Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV Stock Position Lessened by Kiltearn Partners LLP

Kiltearn Partners LLP reduced its stake in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 4.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 855,383 shares of the airline’s stock after selling 36,700 shares during the period. Southwest Airlines makes up about 5.5% of Kiltearn Partners LLP’s holdings, making the stock its 6th largest holding. Kiltearn Partners LLP owned 0.17% of Southwest Airlines worth $27,295,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Southwest Airlines during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in Southwest Airlines during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Corsicana & Co. purchased a new position in Southwest Airlines during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the third quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the third quarter valued at about $37,000. 80.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Southwest Airlines News

Here are the key news stories impacting Southwest Airlines this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and upside targets — Several firms still carry Overweight/Outperform views and the recent compilation of analyst targets shows a median near $49, implying potential upside from current levels. Quiver Quant: Analyst Ratings & Targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Longer-term value debate — Some commentary argues the pullback could create a buying opportunity for investors focused on the airline’s multi-year recovery narrative, but this is contested and depends on fuel and execution risks. Yahoo Finance: Is LUV Still Attractive?
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical escalation raises fuel-cost and demand fears — Coverage links the U.S.–Israel–Iran tensions to a surge in crude/jet-fuel expectations and a sector-wide selloff, pressuring Southwest because fuel is a major cost and demand for discretionary travel can wobble in crises. Benzinga: Why LUV Is Falling
• Negative Sentiment: Broader oil-driven sector pain — Market notes and price-action analysis tie LUV’s drop to a crude-driven rout across carriers; higher fuel translates to margin risk and triggers rotation away from fuel-sensitive travel names. Quiver Quant: Oil Pressure on Airlines
• Negative Sentiment: Execution and sentiment concerns — Analysis highlights a “double whammy” of Southwest’s structural/logistics challenges (model overhaul) plus renewed fuel inflation that could squeeze margins and investor confidence. Forbes: How Low Can LUV Go?
• Negative Sentiment: Reputational/retail risk from policy changes — Coverage of new customer policies has sparked negative consumer reaction, which can weigh on demand and brand premium that historically differentiated Southwest. TheStreet: Policy Backlash
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed institutional activity & price-target shifts — Large institutional trimming and at least one price-target adjustment (Rothschild raised its target but kept a sell stance) add to near-term uncertainty about sentiment among big holders. Benzinga: Price Target Note

Southwest Airlines Stock Down 5.5%

Shares of NYSE LUV opened at $41.47 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The business has a 50-day moving average of $46.70 and a 200-day moving average of $38.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.37, a PEG ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.10. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 12 month low of $23.82 and a 12 month high of $55.11.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The airline reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.02. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 1.57% and a return on equity of 6.18%. The business had revenue of $7.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.51 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.56 earnings per share. Southwest Airlines’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Southwest Airlines has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.000- EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.450- EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 12th. Southwest Airlines’s payout ratio is currently 85.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LUV has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Evercore raised their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group raised shares of Southwest Airlines from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $51.00 to $73.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $27.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $54.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of Southwest Airlines from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $34.00 to $56.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $48.29.

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.