Kentucky Retirement Systems Buys 27,943 Shares of Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Kentucky Retirement Systems grew its stake in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 94.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 57,522 shares of the airline’s stock after acquiring an additional 27,943 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $2,161,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Southwest Airlines in the 4th quarter worth approximately $172,038,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new position in Southwest Airlines in the 4th quarter valued at $143,450,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in Southwest Airlines by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 40,200,530 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $1,661,488,000 after buying an additional 2,626,853 shares during the last quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines in the 4th quarter valued at $55,320,000. Finally, Nearwater Capital Markets Ltd increased its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 75.0% in the 4th quarter. Nearwater Capital Markets Ltd now owns 2,800,000 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $115,724,000 after buying an additional 1,200,000 shares during the period. 80.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Southwest Airlines Price Performance

Shares of LUV opened at $45.59 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 1 year low of $28.98 and a 1 year high of $55.11. The stock has a market cap of $22.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.12. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $46.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $44.37.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The airline reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 14.15% and a net margin of 2.78%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $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. On average, equities analysts predict that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 3.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 3rd. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. Southwest Airlines’s payout ratio is currently 44.17%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LUV has been the topic of several research reports. Barclays upped their price target on Southwest Airlines from $56.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $58.50 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Southwest Airlines from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $49.55.

About Southwest Airlines

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.