Anderson Hoagland & Co. Makes New Investment in Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Key Points

• Anderson Hoagland & Co. acquired 81,819 shares of Southwest Airlines in the second quarter, valued at approximately $4.2 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 80.82% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with nine Buy, nine Hold and four Sell ratings; the consensus rating is Hold with an average price target of $49.55.
• Southwest reported quarterly earnings of $0.94 per share, exceeding the $0.52 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 16.4% year over year to $8.72 billion. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.18 per share, representing a 1.5% annualized yield.

Anderson Hoagland & Co. acquired a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 81,819 shares of the airline's stock, valued at approximately $4,207,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. SHP Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Optima Capital LLC bought a new position in Southwest Airlines during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. 80.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on LUV shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $58.50 to $60.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Susquehanna increased their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. HSBC upgraded Southwest Airlines from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating and raised their target price for the company from $24.40 to $36.10 in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Southwest Airlines from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Southwest Airlines has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $49.55.

Southwest Airlines Stock Performance

NYSE LUV opened at $48.67 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $23.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.86, a PEG ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $46.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $44.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 12-month low of $28.98 and a 12-month high of $55.11.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The airline reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $8.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.43 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Sell-side analysts predict that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 3.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be issued a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 3rd. Southwest Airlines's dividend payout ratio is currently 44.17%.

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.

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