348,374 Shares in Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV Purchased by PDT Partners LLC

PDT Partners LLC acquired a new position in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 348,374 shares of the airline’s stock, valued at approximately $17,913,000. Southwest Airlines accounts for about 0.9% of PDT Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. PDT Partners LLC owned 0.07% of Southwest Airlines as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings 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 period. 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 purchasing an additional 3,141 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 527 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 2,408 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its position 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 buying an additional 98,986 shares during the last quarter. 80.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LUV has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $53.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $53.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Southwest Airlines presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $49.01.

Southwest Airlines Price Performance

Southwest Airlines stock opened at $40.87 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.07, a PEG ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 1.14. Southwest Airlines Co. has a one year low of $29.26 and a one year high of $55.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.49 and a quick ratio of 0.42. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $47.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $44.33.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.42. The company had revenue of $8.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.58 billion. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 14.15% and a net margin of 2.78%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $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. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 3.41 EPS for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

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