49,165 Shares in Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV Bought by Gerald Baker Financial Group LLC

Key Points

• Gerald Baker Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Southwest Airlines during the first quarter, purchasing 49,165 shares valued at about $1.85 million.
• Other institutions also increased their positions, and hedge funds now own 80.82% of Southwest Airlines stock, showing continued heavy institutional interest.
• Southwest reported quarterly EPS of $0.45 in line with expectations, though revenue of $7.25 billion came in below forecasts; analysts currently have a consensus Hold rating with a target price of $49.58.

Gerald Baker Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 49,165 shares of the airline's stock, valued at approximately $1,847,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 100.6% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 39,347 shares of the airline's stock worth $1,303,000 after buying an additional 19,729 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 5.4% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 61,060 shares of the airline's stock valued at $2,050,000 after acquiring an additional 3,141 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in Southwest Airlines by 7.6% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,459 shares of the airline's stock worth $250,000 after acquiring an additional 527 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Southwest Airlines by 73.4% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,690 shares of the airline's stock worth $185,000 after acquiring an additional 2,408 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 98,986 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.82% of the company's stock.

Southwest Airlines Stock Performance

LUV opened at $49.45 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $24.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.90, a P/E/G ratio of 0.47 and a beta of 1.12. The business's 50-day moving average price is $45.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $44.07. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 1 year low of $28.98 and a 1 year high of $55.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.48 and a quick ratio of 0.41.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The airline reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.45. The company 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%.Southwest Airlines's revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.13) earnings per share. Southwest Airlines has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.350-0.650 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 3.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 11th were given a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 11th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. Southwest Airlines's dividend payout ratio is 46.45%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LUV has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Evercore upped their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $52.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $24.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $47.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Southwest Airlines from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, July 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and four have given 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 $49.58.

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.

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