Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Takes Position in Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 192,138 shares of the airline’s stock, valued at approximately $7,941,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of LUV. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 100.6% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 39,347 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $1,303,000 after purchasing an additional 19,729 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 5.4% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 61,060 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $2,050,000 after purchasing an additional 3,141 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 7.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,459 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $250,000 after purchasing an additional 527 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Southwest Airlines by 73.4% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,690 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $185,000 after acquiring an additional 2,408 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in Southwest Airlines by 47.4% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 307,602 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $9,979,000 after acquiring an additional 98,986 shares during the last quarter. 80.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Southwest Airlines Stock Up 2.7%

Southwest Airlines stock opened at $45.50 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.48. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $40.46 and a 200 day moving average of $42.23. The stock has a market cap of $22.24 billion, a PE ratio of 29.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.15. Southwest Airlines Co. has a one year low of $28.98 and a one year high of $55.11.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The airline reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45. The business had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.46 billion. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 10.66% and a net margin of 2.83%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($0.13) earnings per share. Southwest Airlines has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.350-0.650 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 2.81 EPS for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 11th will be given a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 11th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.45%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on LUV shares. Weiss Ratings cut Southwest Airlines from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday. Zacks Research cut Southwest Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $42.00 to $37.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane upped their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $24.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $44.21.

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.