Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV Shares Bought by NEOS Investment Management LLC

NEOS Investment Management LLC increased its position in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 42.8% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 78,285 shares of the airline’s stock after acquiring an additional 23,469 shares during the period. NEOS Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $2,498,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Southwest Airlines in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines in the third quarter valued at $27,000. Corsicana & Co. acquired a new position in Southwest Airlines in the third quarter valued at $27,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in Southwest Airlines in the second quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in Southwest Airlines by 81.4% during the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,056 shares of the airline’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 474 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.82% of the company’s stock.

Southwest Airlines Price Performance

Southwest Airlines stock opened at $52.08 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $45.19 and a 200-day moving average of $36.96. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 52-week low of $23.82 and a 52-week high of $55.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 62.00, a PEG ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.15.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 1.57% and a return on equity of 6.18%. The firm had revenue of $7.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.51 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.56 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Southwest Airlines has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.000- EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.450- EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 1.55 EPS for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 12th. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 85.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LUV has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Raymond James Financial upped their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $42.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Southwest Airlines from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $43.00 to $57.50 in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Barclays upgraded shares of Southwest Airlines from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $34.00 to $56.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Southwest Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Southwest Airlines presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $48.14.

Southwest Airlines 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.