Portside Wealth Group LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Portside Wealth Group LLC grew its position in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 74.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 33,301 shares of the airline’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,213 shares during the quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $1,063,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 1.4% during the second quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 24,857 shares of the airline’s stock worth $806,000 after buying an additional 333 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 2.4% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 14,285 shares of the airline’s stock worth $456,000 after purchasing an additional 341 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 10,791 shares of the airline’s stock worth $344,000 after acquiring an additional 343 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 6.1% during the second quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,547 shares of the airline’s stock worth $212,000 after purchasing an additional 374 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wallace Advisory Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. Wallace Advisory Group LLC now owns 11,050 shares of the airline’s stock worth $371,000 after buying an additional 386 shares in the last quarter. 80.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Southwest Airlines from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $36.00 to $60.00 in a report on Friday, January 9th. Zacks Research raised Southwest Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $37.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Southwest Airlines from $29.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Southwest Airlines has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $45.76.

Key Headlines Impacting Southwest Airlines

Here are the key news stories impacting Southwest Airlines this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.18 per share (record Mar 12, payable Apr 2), implying a ~1.4% yield — a direct cash return to shareholders that can support sentiment. SOUTHWEST AIRLINES DECLARES 188th QUARTERLY DIVIDEND
• Positive Sentiment: UBS published a bullish forecast for LUV suggesting strong price appreciation potential, which can attract buyers and lift sentiment. UBS Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) Stock
• Positive Sentiment: An analyst price target was raised (reported increase to $46.09), signaling improving analyst views even if the target remains below some recent trade levels — can be supportive of near‑term sentiment. Southwest Airlines (LUV) price target increased by 10.67% to 46.09
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks included LUV in a list of stocks with relative price strength, highlighting momentum that can draw momentum-focused funds and traders. Looking for Leaders? 5 Stocks With Relative Price Strength
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage pieces note optimism ahead of upcoming earnings, suggesting some investors expect continued operational improvement or upside to guidance. Some May Be Optimistic About Southwest Airlines’ (NYSE:LUV) Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts’ consensus rating remains a “Hold,” indicating mixed views: some analysts are bullish while the overall consensus is cautious. Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Southwest Airlines Stock Performance

Southwest Airlines stock opened at $52.48 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $42.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $35.61. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 52 week low of $23.82 and a 52 week high of $52.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 62.48, a PEG ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The airline reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.02. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 6.18% and a net margin of 1.57%.The firm had revenue of $7.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.51 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.56 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Southwest Airlines has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.000- EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.450- EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, March 12th will be issued a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 12th. Southwest Airlines’s payout ratio is presently 85.71%.

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.