Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV Shares Sold by Sound Shore Management Inc. CT

Sound Shore Management Inc. CT trimmed its holdings in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 20.6% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,001,977 shares of the airline’s stock after selling 518,720 shares during the period. Southwest Airlines accounts for 2.5% of Sound Shore Management Inc. CT’s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Sound Shore Management Inc. CT’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $75,214,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Southwest Airlines during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Southwest Airlines in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Optima Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. 80.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on LUV shares. Argus decreased their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $55.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 24th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $45.00 to $58.50 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $56.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Southwest Airlines has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $49.58.

Southwest Airlines Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of LUV stock opened at $48.09 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.48 and a quick ratio of 0.41. The company has a market cap of $23.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.02, a PEG ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 1.12. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $45.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $44.12. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 1-year low of $28.98 and a 1-year high of $55.11.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The airline reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45. The firm had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.46 billion. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 2.83% and a return on equity of 10.66%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.13) EPS. Southwest Airlines has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.350-0.650 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 3.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 11th were issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 11th. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.45%.

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.