Gibbs Wealth Management Increases Stock Holdings in Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Gibbs Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 86.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 29,879 shares of the airline’s stock after buying an additional 13,874 shares during the period. Gibbs Wealth Management’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $1,123,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LUV. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines during the fourth quarter valued at about $172,038,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new stake in Southwest Airlines in the 4th quarter worth approximately $143,450,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Southwest Airlines by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 40,200,530 shares of the airline’s stock worth $1,661,488,000 after purchasing an additional 2,626,853 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC purchased a new stake in Southwest Airlines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,320,000. Finally, Nearwater Capital Markets Ltd grew its position in Southwest Airlines by 75.0% during the 4th quarter. Nearwater Capital Markets Ltd now owns 2,800,000 shares of the airline’s stock worth $115,724,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200,000 shares during the last quarter. 80.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Southwest Airlines Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LUV opened at $45.19 on Friday. Southwest Airlines Co. has a twelve month low of $28.98 and a twelve month high of $55.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company has a market cap of $22.09 billion, a PE ratio of 27.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 1.12. The company’s 50 day moving average is $46.01 and its 200 day moving average is $44.29.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The airline reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $8.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.58 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.43 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 3.67 EPS for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, June 11th were issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 11th. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.17%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on LUV. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $24.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Bank of America upped their target price on Southwest Airlines from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Southwest Airlines from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Southwest Airlines has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $49.55.

Southwest Airlines News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets raised its price target on Southwest Airlines to $60 from $58.50 and reiterated an outperform rating, signaling confidence in further upside after the company’s earnings beat. Benzinga report
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays kept a buy rating on Southwest Airlines, reinforcing the bullish view from analysts following the airline’s latest quarter. Barclays article
• Positive Sentiment: Southwest reported second-quarter adjusted EPS of $0.94, well above estimates, and record quarterly revenue, showing improved earnings power and solid demand. Yahoo Finance report
• Positive Sentiment: Several earnings recaps highlighted stronger fares, commercial gains, and margin expansion, suggesting the company’s transformation efforts are starting to show through in results. Zacks report

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.