Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV Shares Purchased by Caxton Associates LLP

Caxton Associates LLP boosted its stake in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 169.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 89,659 shares of the airline’s stock after buying an additional 56,412 shares during the quarter. Caxton Associates LLP’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $3,368,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Southwest Airlines in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Optima Capital LLC acquired a new position in Southwest Airlines in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.82% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Southwest Airlines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Southwest posted Q2 adjusted EPS of $0.94, well above Wall Street’s $0.52 estimate, and revenue of $8.72 billion also topped expectations, helped by record quarterly revenues, stronger fares, and margin expansion. Southwest Airlines Co (LUV) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Highlights: Record Revenues and Strong …
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts received another boost from a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) upgrade, reflecting improved earnings expectations and near-term optimism for the stock. Southwest (LUV) Upgraded to Buy: What Does It Mean for the Stock?
• Neutral Sentiment: The company highlighted operational resilience and strong customer demand in its earnings call transcript, but the details were largely consistent with the headline results already reported. Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance disappointed: Southwest forecast Q3 EPS of $0.50 to $0.75, below the analyst consensus near $0.72, and trimmed its full-year outlook to $3.25 to $4.25 as fuel costs climbed sharply. Southwest Airlines Stock Slides as Q3 Guidance Comes in Light
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple reports emphasized that elevated fuel expenses, including roughly an $889 million increase, are pressuring margins and weighing on investor sentiment despite the earnings beat. Southwest Airlines put Texas jet fuel on a boat to LA for the first time amid supply worries

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on LUV. Barclays upped their target price on Southwest Airlines from $56.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Wall Street Zen raised Southwest Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, July 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $53.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $49.58.

Southwest Airlines Trading Down 6.1%

Shares of NYSE:LUV opened at $44.75 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $45.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $44.29. The company has a market cap of $21.87 billion, a PE ratio of 27.45, a P/E/G ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 1.12. Southwest Airlines Co. has a fifty-two week low of $28.98 and a fifty-two week high of $55.11.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The airline reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.42. The company had revenue of $8.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.58 billion. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 13.93% and a net margin of 2.78%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.43 EPS. Southwest Airlines has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.250-4.250 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.500-0.750 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 3.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 11th were paid a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 11th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Southwest Airlines’s payout ratio is currently 46.45%.

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.