Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV Shares Purchased by SG Americas Securities LLC

SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 164.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 146,097 shares of the airline’s stock after buying an additional 90,846 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $4,662,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Corsicana & Co. acquired a new position in Southwest Airlines in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Southwest Airlines during the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 81.4% in the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,056 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 474 shares during the period. Finally, Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines in the second quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.82% of the company’s stock.

Southwest Airlines Stock Performance

NYSE:LUV opened at $44.46 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $22.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 68.39, a P/E/G ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 1.16. Southwest Airlines Co. has a twelve month low of $23.82 and a twelve month high of $45.02. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $37.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $34.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 6th. The airline reported ($0.38) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 1.38% and a return on equity of 6.39%. The business had revenue of $6.17 billion for the quarter. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 16th. Investors of record on Friday, December 26th will be given a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 26th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 110.77%.

Key Southwest Airlines News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Rare double-upgrade from JPMorgan — JPMorgan upgraded LUV from underweight to overweight and lifted its price target to $60, a large upward move that traders say is the main catalyst for the rally as it signals materially higher earnings expectations. Barron’s: Rare Double Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple price-target raises — Citi and UBS both bumped targets (Citi to $44, UBS to $45), reinforcing the analyst trend higher and supporting upside in the stock as models are re-priced for better forward earnings. Citi price target raise
• Positive Sentiment: Broader analyst optimism — Citigroup and other firms published bullish commentary forecasting notable price appreciation based on improving fundamentals and potential margin recovery. Citigroup forecast
• Neutral Sentiment: Susquehanna raised its target to $45 but kept a “neutral” rating — the higher target supports the rally but the retained rating tempers how decisive the firm views near-term upside. Benzinga: Susquehanna note
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategic/cabin changes under review — articles on Southwest’s cabin revamp and assigned seating argue these initiatives could reshape unit revenue and customer experience, but benefits depend on execution and timing. Yahoo: Cabin revamp
• Neutral Sentiment: New marketing/partnerships — a legacy partnership with the Chicago Cubs is positive PR and revenue/brand-supportive, but unlikely to move near-term fundamentals materially. MLB press release
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst landscape — several firms remain cautious/hold-rated (e.g., Wells Fargo), so while sentiment is tilting positive, coverage is not uniformly bullish. Wells Fargo hold

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $31.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Southwest Airlines in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $43.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Southwest Airlines in a report on Thursday, December 18th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $45.00 price objective on the stock. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $42.11.

About Southwest Airlines

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.