Ameriprise Financial Inc. Purchases 3,753,183 Shares of Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 43.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,335,167 shares of the airline’s stock after buying an additional 3,753,183 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned about 2.39% of Southwest Airlines worth $393,615,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of LUV. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Southwest Airlines in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Corsicana & Co. bought a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in Southwest Airlines in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Southwest Airlines during the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in Southwest Airlines during the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. Institutional investors own 80.82% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LUV has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. 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. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price target on Southwest Airlines from $27.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $54.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $46.29.

Southwest Airlines Price Performance

Shares of LUV stock opened at $40.18 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $46.63 and its 200 day moving average is $38.79. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 1-year low of $23.82 and a 1-year high of $55.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The company has a market cap of $19.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.84, a PEG ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 1.10.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The airline reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $7.44 billion during 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 firm’s revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $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. Research analysts predict that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, March 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 12th. Southwest Airlines’s payout ratio is 85.71%.

Southwest Airlines News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS lowered its price target on LUV to $59 but kept a “buy” rating, noting upside from current levels; the note supports constructive sentiment despite the cut. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: UBS says US airline stocks may be near a bottom even after recent declines and expects many carriers to hit the midpoint of Q1 guidance, which helps sector-wide sentiment. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: A short-term sector rebound — airlines rallied after two rough weeks when jet fuel spiked — is lifting peers including LUV. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Airline CEOs urged Congress to end a government shutdown to avoid travel disruptions over spring break — this is an industry-wide operational risk rather than a Southwest-specific issue. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: UBS cut price targets and estimates across its U.S. airline coverage, citing “significant uncertainty” around fuel costs and 2026 outlook — a headwind for valuation and analyst sentiment. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo trimmed its LUV target from $50 to $44 and moved to an “equal weight” rating, reducing near-term upside expectations. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Southwest will stop flying to Chicago O’Hare and Washington Dulles starting June 4, a network change that could lower revenue from those markets and upset some customers. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Longtime flyers are publicly reacting negatively to changes in Southwest’s A-List benefits, signaling potential customer-satisfaction and loyalty risks. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research has issued negative earnings estimates for LUV, adding downward pressure to near-term expectations. Read More.

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.