Fidelis Capital Partners LLC Buys Shares of 17,912 Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 17,912 shares of the airline’s stock, valued at approximately $572,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. RWA Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines in the 2nd quarter worth about $1,652,000. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Southwest Airlines during the third quarter worth about $2,010,000. Howard Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 8.3% in the second quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 127,218 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $4,150,000 after purchasing an additional 9,739 shares during the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 5.4% in the third quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 578,088 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $18,447,000 after purchasing an additional 29,665 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 30.1% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 1,406,652 shares of the airline’s stock worth $45,632,000 after purchasing an additional 325,030 shares in the last quarter. 80.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Southwest Airlines Stock Up 18.5%

Shares of NYSE:LUV opened at $48.44 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $40.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $35.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.66, a PEG ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 1.16. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 1 year low of $23.82 and a 1 year high of $49.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.49.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The airline reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $7.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.51 billion. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 6.11% and a net margin of 1.57%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.56 earnings per share. Southwest Airlines has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.000- EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.450- EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 26th were paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 26th. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 110.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. BNP Paribas Exane raised their price target on Southwest Airlines from $19.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday. UBS Group raised their price target 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $42.63.

Southwest Airlines News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company set FY‑2026 adjusted EPS guidance of at least $4.00 (more than 300% above 2025), signaling a large profit ramp driven by its business transformation; management says momentum in bookings supports the outlook. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: End of open seating and introduction of assigned seats plus new ancillary fees (bags, seat selection, extra legroom) are expected to materially boost unit revenues and margins — investors see this as a sustainable revenue lever. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS modestly beat estimates (EPS topped consensus) and operating profit improved YoY, which together with the guidance reduced near‑term execution concerns for many investors. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue in the quarter trailed some expectations (mixed top‑line vs. estimates), so upside rests on management executing the revenue initiatives and sustaining rate trends. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are re‑rating and updating targets: some price targets were raised while ratings remain mixed — consensus targets still show dispersion, suggesting investor opinion is split on valuation vs. execution risk. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 2026 EPS guidance (0.45) came in below some street estimates, creating a near‑term execution risk window even as full‑year guidance is strong. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Unusual options activity showed heavy put buying around the report, indicating some traders hedged or bet on downside volatility despite the upbeat guidance. (No single article link available)

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.