Sanctuary Advisors LLC Takes Position in Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 97,898 shares of the airline’s stock, valued at approximately $5,034,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 100.6% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 39,347 shares of the airline’s stock worth $1,303,000 after buying an additional 19,729 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in Southwest Airlines by 5.4% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 61,060 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $2,050,000 after acquiring an additional 3,141 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 7.6% in the 1st 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 grew its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 73.4% in the 2nd 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 grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 98,986 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.82% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LUV has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Raymond James Financial lowered their price target on Southwest Airlines from $60.00 to $54.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Barclays raised their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $56.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Southwest Airlines from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. TD Cowen decreased their target price on Southwest Airlines from $53.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on Southwest Airlines from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Southwest Airlines presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $49.01.

Southwest Airlines Price Performance

Southwest Airlines stock opened at $40.71 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.49. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 52 week low of $29.26 and a 52 week high of $55.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 1.14. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $47.17 and a 200-day moving average of $44.42.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The airline reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.42. The business had revenue of $8.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.58 billion. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 2.78% and a return on equity of 14.15%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company 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, sell-side analysts expect that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 3.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 3rd. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. Southwest Airlines’s payout ratio is presently 44.17%.

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.