Artisan Partners Limited Partnership Sells 15,286 Shares of Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Artisan Partners Limited Partnership reduced its stake in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 0.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,748,649 shares of the airline’s stock after selling 15,286 shares during the period. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership owned 2.08% of Southwest Airlines worth $342,989,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,443 shares of the airline’s stock worth $470,000 after buying an additional 1,011 shares in the last quarter. RWA Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 2.0% in the third quarter. RWA Wealth Partners LLC now owns 51,956 shares of the airline’s stock worth $1,658,000 after purchasing an additional 1,043 shares in the last quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. raised its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 12.1% during the 3rd quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. now owns 14,162 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $452,000 after acquiring an additional 1,533 shares during the period. Compass Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 20.9% during the 3rd quarter. Compass Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,625 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $243,000 after purchasing an additional 1,320 shares during the period. Finally, Avestar Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the third quarter valued at about $266,000. 80.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Southwest Airlines Trading Up 2.2%

NYSE LUV opened at $50.97 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $25.04 billion, a PE ratio of 60.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 1.15. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 1-year low of $23.82 and a 1-year high of $55.11. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $46.14 and a 200-day moving average of $37.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The airline reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $7.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.51 billion. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 6.18% and a net margin of 1.57%.Southwest Airlines’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.56 EPS. Southwest Airlines has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.000- EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.450- EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 1.55 EPS for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, March 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 12th. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio is currently 85.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LUV has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Southwest Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. BNP Paribas Exane increased their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $19.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Southwest Airlines from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $43.00 to $57.50 in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Seaport Research Partners increased their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $57.00 to $58.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their target price on Southwest Airlines from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $48.14.

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.