Wealthfront Advisers LLC Increases Stock Position in Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Wealthfront Advisers LLC raised its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 232.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 107,577 shares of the airline’s stock after acquiring an additional 75,260 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $4,042,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Southwest Airlines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in Southwest Airlines during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Southwest Airlines during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Optima Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. 80.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LUV has been the subject of a number of research reports. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $53.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. TD Cowen increased their target price on Southwest Airlines from $47.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Argus cut their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $55.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $49.58.

Southwest Airlines Stock Up 0.0%

LUV stock opened at $48.09 on Monday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $45.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $44.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.02, a PEG ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 1.12. Southwest Airlines Co. has a fifty-two week low of $28.98 and a fifty-two week high of $55.11. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The airline reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.45. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 2.83% and a return on equity of 10.66%. The company had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.46 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted ($0.13) EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. Southwest Airlines has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.350-0.650 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 3.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

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