SG Americas Securities LLC Buys 3,606,255 Shares of Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 2,468.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,752,352 shares of the airline’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,606,255 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC owned 0.73% of Southwest Airlines worth $155,085,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cibc World Market Inc. raised its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 12.6% in the 3rd quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 1,916,003 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $61,140,000 after acquiring an additional 214,092 shares during the period. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Southwest Airlines during the third quarter worth approximately $2,010,000. Gradient Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 5.4% during the third quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 578,088 shares of the airline’s stock worth $18,447,000 after acquiring an additional 29,665 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 30.1% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 1,406,652 shares of the airline’s stock worth $45,632,000 after acquiring an additional 325,030 shares during the period. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 59.3% in the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 727,090 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $23,587,000 after purchasing an additional 270,589 shares during the last quarter. 80.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Southwest Airlines Trading Up 2.3%

Shares of LUV stock opened at $40.30 on Tuesday. Southwest Airlines Co. has a fifty-two week low of $23.82 and a fifty-two week high of $55.11. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $46.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $39.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.52. The company has a market cap of $19.80 billion, a PE ratio of 47.98, a P/E/G ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 1.10.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The airline reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.02. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 6.18% and a net margin of 1.57%.The company had revenue of $7.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.51 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.56 EPS. Southwest Airlines’s 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. Equities analysts predict that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 1.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. Southwest Airlines’s payout ratio is presently 85.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LUV has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Southwest Airlines from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Wall Street Zen lowered Southwest Airlines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $54.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. UBS Group dropped their target price on Southwest Airlines from $59.00 to $56.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $29.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Southwest Airlines presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $46.25.

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.