Barclays PLC Has $120.10 Million Stock Holdings in Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Barclays PLC boosted its position in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 26.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,905,923 shares of the airline’s stock after buying an additional 601,892 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $120,102,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Southwest Airlines in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Southwest Airlines in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Southwest Airlines in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Optima Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Southwest Airlines in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Southwest Airlines in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.82% of the company’s stock.

Southwest Airlines Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LUV opened at $46.10 on Tuesday. 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 Co. has a 12 month low of $28.98 and a 12 month high of $55.11. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $40.63 and a 200-day moving average of $42.38. The company has a market capitalization of $22.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.74, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.15.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The airline reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.45. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 10.66% and a net margin of 2.83%.The company had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.46 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.13) EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 2.81 EPS for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LUV has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Southwest Airlines from $57.50 to $45.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Evercore raised their price target on Southwest Airlines from $43.00 to $44.00 in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Raymond James Financial raised their price target on Southwest Airlines from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Southwest Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 6th. Finally, HSBC upgraded Southwest Airlines from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their price target for the company from $24.40 to $36.10 in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $44.21.

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.