Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Lowers Stake in Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans reduced its position in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 32.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,524,323 shares of the airline’s stock after selling 737,661 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $62,999,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Optima Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. 80.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LUV has been the topic of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $42.00 to $37.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Zacks Research lowered shares of Southwest Airlines from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $50.00 to $44.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $44.11.

Southwest Airlines Trading Down 2.2%

Shares of Southwest Airlines stock opened at $38.46 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.80 billion, a PE ratio of 24.81, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.12. Southwest Airlines Co. has a twelve month low of $28.98 and a twelve month high of $55.11. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $39.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $40.83. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The airline reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45. The firm had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.46 billion. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 2.83% and a return on equity of 10.66%. Southwest Airlines’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted ($0.13) EPS. Southwest Airlines has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.350-0.650 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 2.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 11th will be issued a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 11th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. Southwest Airlines’s dividend 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.