Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV Shares Sold by Strs Ohio

Strs Ohio decreased its position in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 81.3% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 11,265 shares of the airline’s stock after selling 48,916 shares during the quarter. Strs Ohio’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $359,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Southwest Airlines in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Corsicana & Co. purchased a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 474 shares in the last quarter. 80.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Southwest Airlines Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LUV opened at $47.51 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $40.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $35.20. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 52 week low of $23.82 and a 52 week high of $49.85. The stock has a market cap of $24.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.56, a PEG ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 1.16.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last announced 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 company had revenue of $7.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.51 billion. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 1.57% and a return on equity of 6.18%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business 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. As a group, research 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 16th. Investors of record on Friday, December 26th were paid a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 26th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 85.71%.

Key Headlines Impacting Southwest Airlines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Management issued robust FY‑2026 guidance (at least $4.00 adjusted EPS) and signaled material upside from new seat/ancillary fees — the guidance and new revenue levers are the main driver of recent upside. Q4 Earnings Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat EPS estimates ($0.58 vs. $0.56) which reinforced confidence in the recovery and margin improvement. Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple bullish analyst moves raised upside expectations — Morgan Stanley to $55 (overweight), BMO upgraded to outperform with $57.50, Wells Fargo and TD Cowen lifted targets toward $50 — these upgrades support the stock’s upside narrative. Analyst Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry and stock‑screen pieces (Zacks, Seeking Alpha) compare LUV to peers and discuss valuation; helpful for context but less likely to drive immediate moves. Peer Comparison
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term guidance is mixed: Q1 EPS guidance of ~$0.45 came in below Street estimates, and revenue trends in the quarter lagged expectations — a near‑term headwind for sentiment. Guidance & Results
• Negative Sentiment: Some large firms remain bearish or cautious despite raising targets — Goldman Sachs raised its PT to $32 but maintains a “sell” rating, and Bank of America kept an “underperform” stance with a $42 PT — these lower‑PT calls can cap rallies and prompt profit‑taking. Goldman / BofA Notes

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on LUV shares. UBS Group increased their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. BNP Paribas Exane increased their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $19.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $29.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Southwest Airlines currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $44.76.

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.