WINTON GROUP Ltd Sells 24,690 Shares of Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

WINTON GROUP Ltd lowered its position in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 43.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 31,640 shares of the airline’s stock after selling 24,690 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $1,010,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in Southwest Airlines by 2,403.8% in the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 10,120,368 shares of the airline’s stock worth $328,305,000 after acquiring an additional 9,716,160 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 13.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,218,086 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $389,879,000 after purchasing an additional 1,459,235 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 2nd quarter valued at $41,663,000. Crake Asset Management LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines in the 2nd quarter valued at $33,738,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 315.3% in the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 1,247,837 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $40,480,000 after purchasing an additional 947,346 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.82% of the company’s stock.

Southwest Airlines Stock Performance

Southwest Airlines stock traded down $0.43 on Friday, reaching $38.18. 1,705,299 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 10,413,290. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. Southwest Airlines Co. has a twelve month low of $23.82 and a twelve month high of $55.11. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $46.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $38.62. The stock has a market cap of $18.76 billion, a PE ratio of 45.39, a PEG ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.10.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The airline reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.02. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 6.18% and a net margin of 1.57%.The company had revenue of $7.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.51 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.56 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Southwest Airlines has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.000- EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.450- EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 1.55 EPS for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 12th will be issued a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 85.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LUV has been the topic of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $48.00 to $41.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Raymond James Financial boosted their price target on Southwest Airlines from $42.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. BNP Paribas Exane increased their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $19.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Southwest Airlines in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Southwest Airlines from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Southwest Airlines presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $47.34.

Key Headlines Impacting Southwest Airlines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Redburn raised its price target on LUV to $35 (from $27), which signals some analysts see value at current levels despite a Sell rating; this could support short-term buying interest. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces are highlighting mixed performance: LUV has risen nearly 30% over the past year but has fallen sharply in the last month, underlining higher volatility and investor debate over whether the pullback is a buying opportunity or a signal of weakening momentum. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded LUV from “strong-buy” to “hold” and trimmed its FY2028 EPS forecast to $5.00 from $5.10, signaling reduced earnings expectations from a previously bullish analyst — a direct headwind for sentiment. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies lowered its price target to $41 (from $48) and kept a Hold rating; the cut reduces the implied upside and likely contributes to selling pressure among investors reacting to analyst target resets. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Sector-wide headwinds — rising jet fuel prices tied to Middle East tensions and reported TSA delays — are pressuring airline margins and weighing on LUV alongside peers; Benzinga and Yahoo Finance coverage point to oil and operational risk as a key driver of recent weakness. Article Title Article Title

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.