WINTON GROUP Ltd Sells 24,690 Shares of Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

WINTON GROUP Ltd reduced its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 43.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 31,640 shares of the airline’s stock after selling 24,690 shares during the quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $1,010,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Southwest Airlines in the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Corsicana & Co. acquired a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Southwest Airlines during the third quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Southwest Airlines during the third quarter worth about $37,000. 80.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Southwest Airlines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Redburn raised its price target on LUV to $35 (from $27), which signals some analysts see value at current levels despite a Sell rating; this could support short-term buying interest. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces are highlighting mixed performance: LUV has risen nearly 30% over the past year but has fallen sharply in the last month, underlining higher volatility and investor debate over whether the pullback is a buying opportunity or a signal of weakening momentum. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded LUV from “strong-buy” to “hold” and trimmed its FY2028 EPS forecast to $5.00 from $5.10, signaling reduced earnings expectations from a previously bullish analyst — a direct headwind for sentiment. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies lowered its price target to $41 (from $48) and kept a Hold rating; the cut reduces the implied upside and likely contributes to selling pressure among investors reacting to analyst target resets. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Sector-wide headwinds — rising jet fuel prices tied to Middle East tensions and reported TSA delays — are pressuring airline margins and weighing on LUV alongside peers; Benzinga and Yahoo Finance coverage point to oil and operational risk as a key driver of recent weakness. Article Title Article Title

Southwest Airlines Price Performance

NYSE LUV traded down $0.43 during trading on Friday, reaching $38.18. 1,705,299 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,413,290. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 1-year low of $23.82 and a 1-year high of $55.11. The company has a market cap of $18.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.39, a P/E/G ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.10. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $46.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $38.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.52.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last issued its 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. The business had revenue of $7.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.51 billion. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 6.18% and a net margin of 1.57%.Southwest Airlines’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.56 EPS. Southwest Airlines has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.000- EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.450- EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 1.55 EPS for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 85.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on LUV. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Southwest Airlines in a report on Monday, December 29th. Barclays raised Southwest Airlines from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $34.00 to $56.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their target price on Southwest Airlines from $27.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $37.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Eight 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. According to MarketBeat, Southwest Airlines presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $47.34.

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.