Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC Acquires 156,029 Shares of Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 662.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 179,583 shares of the airline’s stock after buying an additional 156,029 shares during the quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $6,865,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. MCF Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 28.5% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 915 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 203 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors grew its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 1.0% in 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 grew its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 3,063 shares of the airline’s stock worth $127,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in Southwest Airlines by 1.5% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Transcend Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in Southwest Airlines by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,726 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $278,000 after purchasing an additional 272 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.82% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Argus cut their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $55.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Southwest Airlines from $58.00 to $56.00 in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Bank of America upped their price target on Southwest Airlines from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Barclays increased their price target on Southwest Airlines from $56.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Evercore raised their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $52.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $49.58.

Southwest Airlines Stock Down 6.1%

Southwest Airlines stock opened at $44.75 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 1.12. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $45.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $44.29. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 1-year low of $28.98 and a 1-year high of $55.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The airline reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.42. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 2.78% and a return on equity of 13.93%. The company had revenue of $8.72 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.58 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.43 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. Southwest Airlines has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.250-4.250 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.500-0.750 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 3.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 11th were issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 11th. Southwest Airlines’s payout ratio is currently 46.45%.

More Southwest Airlines News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Southwest posted Q2 adjusted EPS of $0.94, well above Wall Street’s $0.52 estimate, and revenue of $8.72 billion also topped expectations, helped by record quarterly revenues, stronger fares, and margin expansion. Southwest Airlines Co (LUV) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Highlights: Record Revenues and Strong …
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts received another boost from a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) upgrade, reflecting improved earnings expectations and near-term optimism for the stock. Southwest (LUV) Upgraded to Buy: What Does It Mean for the Stock?
• Neutral Sentiment: The company highlighted operational resilience and strong customer demand in its earnings call transcript, but the details were largely consistent with the headline results already reported. Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance disappointed: Southwest forecast Q3 EPS of $0.50 to $0.75, below the analyst consensus near $0.72, and trimmed its full-year outlook to $3.25 to $4.25 as fuel costs climbed sharply. Southwest Airlines Stock Slides as Q3 Guidance Comes in Light
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple reports emphasized that elevated fuel expenses, including roughly an $889 million increase, are pressuring margins and weighing on investor sentiment despite the earnings beat. Southwest Airlines put Texas jet fuel on a boat to LA for the first time amid supply worries

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.