Evolve Private Wealth LLC Acquires Shares of 17,718 Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Evolve Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 17,718 shares of the airline’s stock, valued at approximately $666,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in LUV. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 100.6% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 39,347 shares of the airline’s stock worth $1,303,000 after purchasing an additional 19,729 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 5.4% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 61,060 shares of the airline’s stock worth $2,050,000 after purchasing an additional 3,141 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 7.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,459 shares of the airline’s stock worth $250,000 after purchasing an additional 527 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Southwest Airlines by 73.4% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,690 shares of the airline’s stock worth $185,000 after purchasing an additional 2,408 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in Southwest Airlines by 47.4% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 307,602 shares of the airline’s stock worth $9,979,000 after purchasing an additional 98,986 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.82% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LUV has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. HSBC upgraded Southwest Airlines from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $24.40 to $36.10 in a report on Friday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Southwest Airlines from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Monday, June 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $54.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Nine equities 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 MarketBeat, Southwest Airlines presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $44.95.

Southwest Airlines Trading Up 3.4%

Shares of LUV stock opened at $51.11 on Thursday. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 1 year low of $28.98 and a 1 year high of $55.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.98 billion, a PE ratio of 32.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 1.15. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $41.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $43.03. 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 (NYSE:LUV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The airline reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 2.83% and a return on equity of 10.66%. The company had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.46 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.13) EPS. The business’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, research analysts expect that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 2.93 EPS for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 11th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Southwest Airlines’s payout ratio is currently 46.45%.

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.