Jones Financial Companies Lllp Takes $3.67 Million Position in Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Jones Financial Companies Lllp acquired a new stake in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 71,478 shares of the airline’s stock, valued at approximately $3,675,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 100.6% in 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. grew its holdings 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 valued at $2,050,000 after buying an additional 3,141 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew 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 buying an additional 527 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased 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 increased 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. 80.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Southwest Airlines Stock Performance

Shares of LUV stock opened at $40.71 on Tuesday. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 52-week low of $29.26 and a 52-week high of $55.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The stock has a market cap of $19.92 billion, a PE ratio of 24.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 1.14. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $47.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $44.42.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The airline reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 return on equity of 14.15% and a net margin of 2.78%.Southwest Airlines’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.43 earnings per share. 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, equities analysts expect that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 3.41 EPS for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 3rd. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.17%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on LUV shares. Raymond James Financial lowered their price target on Southwest Airlines from $60.00 to $54.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Southwest Airlines from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Bank of America upped their target price on Southwest Airlines from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Evercore increased their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $52.00 in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Nine 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Southwest Airlines presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $49.01.

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.