The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Sells 64,168 Shares of Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company trimmed its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 9.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 618,678 shares of the airline’s stock after selling 64,168 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $23,244,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Southwest Airlines by 100.6% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 39,347 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $1,303,000 after buying an additional 19,729 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 3,141 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings 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 valued at $250,000 after acquiring an additional 527 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 73.4% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,690 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $185,000 after acquiring an additional 2,408 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 47.4% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 307,602 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $9,979,000 after purchasing an additional 98,986 shares in the last quarter. 80.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on LUV shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $58.50 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 24th. HSBC raised shares of Southwest Airlines from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $24.40 to $36.10 in a report on Friday, April 24th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Southwest Airlines from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Raymond James Financial boosted their target price on Southwest Airlines from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $49.55.

Southwest Airlines Stock Performance

Southwest Airlines stock opened at $44.98 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $46.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $44.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.60, a P/E/G ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 12-month low of $28.98 and a 12-month high of $55.11.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The airline reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.42. The firm had revenue of $8.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.58 billion. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 2.78% and a return on equity of 14.15%. The company’s revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.43 EPS. Southwest Airlines has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.250-4.250 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.500-0.750 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 3.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be issued a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 3rd. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.17%.

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.