Vest Financial LLC Acquires 595,759 Shares of Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Vest Financial LLC increased its holdings in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 133.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,043,802 shares of the airline’s stock after acquiring an additional 595,759 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC owned approximately 0.21% of Southwest Airlines worth $43,464,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Primecap Management Co. CA acquired a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,509,179,000. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 2nd quarter worth $1,538,382,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 2nd quarter worth about $234,872,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,763,154 shares of the airline’s stock worth $216,472,000 after purchasing an additional 117,833 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi increased its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 42.7% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 1,461,344 shares of the airline’s stock worth $54,903,000 after purchasing an additional 437,423 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.82% of the company’s stock.

Southwest Airlines Trading Up 0.5%

LUV opened at $39.85 on Thursday. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 52 week low of $29.26 and a 52 week high of $55.11. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $40.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $42.86. The firm has a market cap of $19.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.16. 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 (NYSE:LUV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 21st. The airline reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $8.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.25 billion. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 14.15% and a net margin of 2.78%. The company’s revenue was up 21.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.11 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 2.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 24th. Evercore upped their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $52.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Susquehanna reduced their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded shares of Southwest Airlines from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $35.00 to $40.00 in a report on Friday, September 18th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $47.41.

Key Southwest Airlines News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Southwest reported third-quarter revenue of $8.42 billion, up 21.2% year over year and above the $8.25 billion analyst consensus. Passenger revenue increased 22.8%, supported by strong demand, higher fares and increased fees. Southwest Airlines Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Adjusted earnings per share came in at $0.66, beating expectations of $0.57. Operating income reached $379 million, while the operating margin expanded year over year to 4.5%, indicating that revenue growth outpaced much of the increase in expenses. Southwest Airlines Shares Rise After Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The airline set records for revenue and passenger sales despite slightly lower capacity, suggesting improved pricing power and continued demand for Southwest’s service. The company ended the quarter with approximately $5.6 billion in liquidity and returned $176 million through dividends. Southwest Airlines Stock Rises Despite Higher Fuel Expenses
• Neutral Sentiment: Management forecast fourth-quarter adjusted EPS of $0.55 to $0.80, providing a range for investors as the airline enters a more challenging cost environment.
• Negative Sentiment: Fuel expense increased by $821 million from a year earlier as crude oil prices climbed above $110 per barrel. The increase is pressuring margins and offsetting some of the benefit from stronger fares and fees. Southwest Airlines Cuts 2026 Profit Forecast on Higher Fuel
• Negative Sentiment: Southwest reduced its 2026 adjusted EPS outlook to $2.60-$2.85 because of higher fuel costs. The lowered forecast is the main risk to the stock’s earnings-driven move higher and keeps attention on fuel prices and fourth-quarter profitability. Southwest Airlines Cuts 2026 Profit Forecast as Fuel Costs Spike

About Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines Co is a major U.S. passenger airline headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The company provides scheduled air transportation for leisure and business travelers, with service connecting cities throughout the United States and selected destinations in Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America.

Southwest is known for its predominantly domestic network and point-to-point operating model. In addition to passenger flights, the company offers ancillary services and air cargo transportation.