Altfest L J & Co. Inc. Makes New Investment in Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Altfest L J & Co. Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 33,943 shares of the airline’s stock, valued at approximately $1,403,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 43.7% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,335,167 shares of the airline’s stock worth $393,615,000 after acquiring an additional 3,753,183 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 13.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,218,086 shares of the airline’s stock worth $389,879,000 after acquiring an additional 1,459,235 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,837,197 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $218,175,000 after purchasing an additional 577,326 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,425,339 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $141,213,000 after purchasing an additional 26,608 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 2,468.4% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,752,352 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $155,085,000 after purchasing an additional 3,606,255 shares during the period. 80.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on LUV shares. Seaport Research Partners upped their target price on Southwest Airlines from $57.00 to $58.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Southwest Airlines from $59.00 to $56.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Bank of America decreased their target price on Southwest Airlines from $42.00 to $40.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Evercore upped their target price on Southwest Airlines from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Southwest Airlines from $50.00 to $44.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Southwest Airlines currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $43.72.

Key Stories Impacting Southwest Airlines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts/upgrades — Seeking Alpha published an upgrade to a “Buy” on Southwest despite recent oil-price headwinds, signaling some analysts view the airline’s fundamentals and recovery as intact despite fuel volatility. Southwest Airlines: Upgraded To Buy Despite Oil Shock
• Positive Sentiment: Product/network differentiation — Southwest is expanding wine-country routes and launched a “Sip and Ship” free checked-wine case perk on select West Coast flights, a leisure-focused initiative that could boost yield and ancillary appeal on targeted routes. Is Southwest (LUV) Using Wine-Country Perks to Quietly Redefine Its Leisure-Focused Network Strategy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Activist filings — Activist investors have reported positions that include Southwest among other companies, which can catalyze strategic reviews or governance pressure but outcomes and targets are unclear. Southwest Airlines, Colliers International, and More Stocks See Action From Activist Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: Policy/PR — Southwest instituted a one-portable-charger limit, citing safety; the policy departs from UN guidance and could affect customer satisfaction but has limited direct financial impact. Southwest Charger Limit Highlights Tension Between Safety Rules And Customer Appeal
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro demand signal — CPI data show airfares jumped 14.9% year-over-year in March, which supports higher revenue per passenger but may presage demand sensitivity if fares remain elevated. Inflation Is Hitting These Consumers Hard In Iran War
• Negative Sentiment: Fuel-cost pressure — Separate coverage highlights surging jet fuel prices and carriers pushing through higher fares and baggage fees; rising fuel is a direct margin headwind that could pressure near‑term profitability. Airfares Skyrocket as Carriers Tackle Rising Fuel Costs
• Negative Sentiment: Network cuts and layoffs — Southwest is ending operations at O’Hare, impacting more than 100 employees; route exits can reduce capacity and revenue in the near term and raise restructuring costs. More than 100 Southwest employees to be impacted as O’Hare service ends
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish preview — A Seeking Alpha Q1 preview flagged concerns ahead of results, suggesting potential downside risks to the quarter relative to investor expectations. Southwest Airlines: I’m Not ‘Luving’ This – Q1 Preview

Southwest Airlines Stock Down 1.6%

Southwest Airlines stock opened at $39.58 on Friday. Southwest Airlines Co. has a twelve month low of $23.82 and a twelve month high of $55.11. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $45.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $39.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.11, a PEG ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 1.19.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The airline reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $7.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.51 billion. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 6.18% and a net margin of 1.57%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm 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, research analysts expect that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 12th were paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 12th. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio is 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.