Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV Shares Sold by Gradient Investments LLC

Gradient Investments LLC decreased its holdings in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 12.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 503,336 shares of the airline’s stock after selling 74,752 shares during the quarter. Gradient Investments LLC’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $20,803,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of LUV. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Southwest Airlines by 13.6% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,218,086 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $389,879,000 after buying an additional 1,459,235 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in Southwest Airlines by 2,403.8% during the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 10,120,368 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $328,305,000 after buying an additional 9,716,160 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Southwest Airlines by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,837,197 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $218,175,000 after buying an additional 577,326 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,425,339 shares of the airline’s stock worth $141,213,000 after buying an additional 26,608 shares in the last quarter. 80.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on LUV shares. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $37.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on Southwest Airlines from $40.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Southwest Airlines from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $36.00 to $60.00 in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Southwest Airlines from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Southwest Airlines currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $46.42.

Southwest Airlines Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LUV opened at $39.34 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $19.33 billion, a PE ratio of 46.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.52. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $46.41 and a 200-day moving average of $39.00. Southwest Airlines Co. has a one year low of $23.82 and a one year high of $55.11.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The airline reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.02. The business 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 6.18% and a net margin of 1.57%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.56 EPS. Southwest Airlines has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.000- EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.450- EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 1.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 12th. Southwest Airlines’s payout ratio is presently 85.71%.

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.