Athena Wealth Management LLC Increases Holdings in Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Athena Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 64.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 29,748 shares of the airline’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,623 shares during the period. Southwest Airlines accounts for approximately 0.9% of Athena Wealth Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Athena Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $1,118,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. MCF Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 28.5% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 915 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors raised its stake in Southwest Airlines by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 21,148 shares of the airline’s stock worth $843,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 7.5% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 3,063 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $127,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 16,437 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $682,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Transcend Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,726 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $278,000 after buying an additional 272 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.82% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LUV has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $54.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 20th. BNP Paribas Exane increased their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $24.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings lowered Southwest Airlines from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Monday, June 8th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Southwest Airlines from $57.50 to $45.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Bank of America cut their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $42.00 to $40.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Southwest Airlines currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $44.55.

Southwest Airlines Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of LUV opened at $48.61 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $41.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $42.82. 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 Co. has a 1 year low of $28.98 and a 1 year high of $55.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.76 billion, a PE ratio of 31.36, a P/E/G ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 1.15.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The airline reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 2.83% and a return on equity of 10.66%. The firm 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) earnings per share. The business’s quarterly 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. Analysts forecast that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 2.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 11th will be paid a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 11th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Southwest Airlines’s payout ratio is 46.45%.

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.