Barclays PLC Purchases 339,666 Shares of Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 17.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,304,031 shares of the airline’s stock after buying an additional 339,666 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned about 0.45% of Southwest Airlines worth $73,522,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of LUV. Level Four Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Southwest Airlines by 8.9% in the third quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,982 shares of the airline’s stock worth $255,000 after purchasing an additional 650 shares during the period. CI Investments Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 11.0% during the third quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 3,545 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $113,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares during the period. Strive Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines in the third quarter worth about $638,000. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 12.0% in the third quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,995 shares of the airline’s stock worth $287,000 after purchasing an additional 965 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Southwest Airlines by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,425,339 shares of the airline’s stock worth $141,213,000 after buying an additional 26,608 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.82% of the company’s stock.

Key Southwest Airlines News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and upside targets — Several firms still carry Overweight/Outperform views and the recent compilation of analyst targets shows a median near $49, implying potential upside from current levels. Quiver Quant: Analyst Ratings & Targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Longer-term value debate — Some commentary argues the pullback could create a buying opportunity for investors focused on the airline’s multi-year recovery narrative, but this is contested and depends on fuel and execution risks. Yahoo Finance: Is LUV Still Attractive?
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical escalation raises fuel-cost and demand fears — Coverage links the U.S.–Israel–Iran tensions to a surge in crude/jet-fuel expectations and a sector-wide selloff, pressuring Southwest because fuel is a major cost and demand for discretionary travel can wobble in crises. Benzinga: Why LUV Is Falling
• Negative Sentiment: Broader oil-driven sector pain — Market notes and price-action analysis tie LUV’s drop to a crude-driven rout across carriers; higher fuel translates to margin risk and triggers rotation away from fuel-sensitive travel names. Quiver Quant: Oil Pressure on Airlines
• Negative Sentiment: Execution and sentiment concerns — Analysis highlights a “double whammy” of Southwest’s structural/logistics challenges (model overhaul) plus renewed fuel inflation that could squeeze margins and investor confidence. Forbes: How Low Can LUV Go?
• Negative Sentiment: Reputational/retail risk from policy changes — Coverage of new customer policies has sparked negative consumer reaction, which can weigh on demand and brand premium that historically differentiated Southwest. TheStreet: Policy Backlash
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed institutional activity & price-target shifts — Large institutional trimming and at least one price-target adjustment (Rothschild raised its target but kept a sell stance) add to near-term uncertainty about sentiment among big holders. Benzinga: Price Target Note

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on LUV shares. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $27.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday. Seaport Research Partners upped their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $57.00 to $58.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $29.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Southwest Airlines in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded Southwest Airlines from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $51.00 to $73.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $48.29.

Southwest Airlines Price Performance

Shares of LUV opened at $41.47 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $46.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $38.44. Southwest Airlines Co. has a fifty-two week low of $23.82 and a fifty-two week high of $55.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.37 billion, a PE ratio of 49.37, a PEG ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.52.

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

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 12th will be given a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 12th. Southwest Airlines’s payout ratio is presently 85.71%.

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.