Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Has $8.32 Million Holdings in Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 63.6% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 260,831 shares of the airline’s stock after purchasing an additional 101,403 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $8,323,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of LUV. RWA Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Southwest Airlines in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,652,000. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the third quarter worth $2,010,000. Howard Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 8.3% during the second quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 127,218 shares of the airline’s stock worth $4,150,000 after acquiring an additional 9,739 shares during the period. Gradient Investments LLC lifted its position in Southwest Airlines by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 578,088 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $18,447,000 after acquiring an additional 29,665 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers boosted its stake in Southwest Airlines by 30.1% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 1,406,652 shares of the airline’s stock worth $45,632,000 after purchasing an additional 325,030 shares during the period. 80.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Southwest Airlines Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LUV opened at $54.09 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.52. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $43.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $36.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.58 billion, a PE ratio of 64.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.15. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 52 week low of $23.82 and a 52 week high of $54.70.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The airline reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $7.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.51 billion. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 6.18% and a net margin of 1.57%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous 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. 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 12th will be paid a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 85.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LUV has been the topic of several recent research reports. Raymond James Financial lifted their price target on Southwest Airlines from $42.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Southwest Airlines from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Evercore boosted their target price on Southwest Airlines from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Seaport Research Partners raised their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $57.00 to $58.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Southwest Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $46.92.

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.