Rep. Matthew Robert Van Epps Sells Shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV)

Representative Matthew Robert Van Epps (Republican-Tennessee) recently sold shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV). In a filing disclosed on June 17th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Southwest Airlines stock on June 16th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “SCHWAB ONE ACCOUNT” account.

Representative Matthew Robert Van Epps also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) on 6/16/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) on 6/16/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) on 6/16/2026.
• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Tapestry (NYSE:TPR) on 6/16/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) on 6/16/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) on 6/16/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) on 6/16/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE) on 6/16/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of GE Vernova (NYSE:GEV) on 6/16/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) on 6/16/2026.

Southwest Airlines Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of NYSE LUV traded up $0.95 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $51.89. 4,263,632 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,634,992. 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 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.40, a PEG ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 1.15. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $41.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $43.03.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The airline reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.45. The firm had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.46 billion. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 2.83% and a return on equity of 10.66%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted ($0.13) EPS. Southwest Airlines has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.350-0.650 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 2.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 11th will be given a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 11th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.45%.

Institutional Trading of Southwest Airlines

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. SHP Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Southwest Airlines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in Southwest Airlines during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Optima Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Institutional investors own 80.82% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on LUV. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $42.00 to $40.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Susquehanna cut their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $55.00 to $42.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $57.50 to $45.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Evercore upped their target price on Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $52.00 in a report on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Southwest Airlines from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $45.80.

About Representative Van Epps

Matthew Robert Van Epps (born March 29, 1983) is an American politician and former Army officer serving as the U.S representative for Tennessee’s 7th congressional district since December 2025. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected in the 2025 special election. He previously served as the commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services from 2024 to 2025. He was sworn in on December 4, 2025.

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.