Geode Capital Management LLC Cuts Holdings in Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Geode Capital Management LLC reduced its position in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,891,913 shares of the airline’s stock after selling 142,985 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC owned about 2.49% of Southwest Airlines worth $531,877,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in Southwest Airlines in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Optima Capital LLC purchased a new position in Southwest Airlines in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Southwest Airlines in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Southwest Airlines in the third quarter valued at about $35,000. 80.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Southwest Airlines Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of Southwest Airlines stock opened at $42.98 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $39.76 and a 200-day moving average of $41.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.48 and a quick ratio of 0.41. The company has a market capitalization of $21.00 billion, a PE ratio of 27.73, a P/E/G ratio of 0.47 and a beta of 1.12. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 1-year low of $28.98 and a 1-year high of $55.11.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The airline reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.45. The company had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.46 billion. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 10.66% and a net margin of 2.83%.The company’s revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.13) earnings per share. Southwest Airlines has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.350-0.650 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 2.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 11th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.45%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Raymond James Financial raised their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. BNP Paribas Exane raised their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $24.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Zacks Research lowered Southwest Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings raised Southwest Airlines from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $42.00 to $37.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Southwest Airlines currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $43.96.

Southwest Airlines 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.