Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) Stock Sold Off Rep. Matthew Robert Van Epps

Representative Matthew Robert Van Epps (Republican-Tennessee) recently sold shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV). In a filing disclosed on June 17th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Southwest Airlines stock on June 16th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “SCHWAB ONE ACCOUNT” account.

Representative Matthew Robert Van Epps also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) on 6/16/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) on 6/16/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) on 6/16/2026.
• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Tapestry (NYSE:TPR) on 6/16/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) on 6/16/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) on 6/16/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) on 6/16/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE) on 6/16/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of GE Vernova (NYSE:GEV) on 6/16/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) on 6/16/2026.

Southwest Airlines Stock Performance

NYSE:LUV traded up $1.01 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $51.95. The stock had a trading volume of 7,780,729 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,665,951. Southwest Airlines Co. has a twelve month low of $28.98 and a twelve month high of $55.11. The stock has a market cap of $25.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.51, a PEG ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 1.15. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $41.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $43.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.48.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The airline reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 10.66% and a net margin of 2.83%.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 business earned ($0.13) earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Southwest Airlines has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.350-0.650 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 2.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 11th will be issued a $0.18 dividend. 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 dividend payout ratio is presently 46.45%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Southwest Airlines

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $172,038,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in Southwest Airlines by 43.7% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,335,167 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $393,615,000 after purchasing an additional 3,753,183 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in Southwest Airlines by 2,468.4% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,752,352 shares of the airline’s stock worth $155,085,000 after purchasing an additional 3,606,255 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new stake in Southwest Airlines during the fourth quarter worth $143,450,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 40,200,530 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $1,661,488,000 after purchasing an additional 2,626,853 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.82% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LUV has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Southwest Airlines from $57.50 to $45.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Southwest Airlines from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, June 8th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $53.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Southwest Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, June 6th. Finally, Argus cut their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $55.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $45.80.

About Representative Van Epps

Matthew Robert Van Epps (born March 29, 1983) is an American politician and former Army officer serving as the U.S representative for Tennessee’s 7th congressional district since December 2025. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected in the 2025 special election. He previously served as the commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services from 2024 to 2025. He was sworn in on December 4, 2025.

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.