Two Sigma Securities LLC Invests $802,000 in Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Two Sigma Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 15,593 shares of the airline’s stock, valued at approximately $802,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. SHP Wealth Management bought a new stake in Southwest Airlines in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in Southwest Airlines during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Southwest Airlines during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, DV Equities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. 80.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LUV has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Southwest Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, July 5th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Southwest Airlines from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Evercore lifted their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $52.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $53.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target 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. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $49.01.

Southwest Airlines Stock Performance

Shares of LUV stock opened at $37.69 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $18.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.12, a PEG ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 1.13. Southwest Airlines Co. has a fifty-two week low of $29.26 and a fifty-two week high of $55.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.49. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $46.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $43.85.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last issued 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. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 2.78% and a return on equity of 14.15%. The firm had revenue of $8.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.43 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Analysts expect that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 3.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 3rd. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.17%.

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.