Meeder Asset Management Inc. Takes Position in Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Key Points

• Meeder Asset Management purchased 54,234 Southwest Airlines shares worth approximately $2.79 million in the second quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 80.82% of LUV.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with the stock carrying a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $49.55; ratings include nine Buys, nine Holds and four Sells.
• Southwest reported quarterly EPS of $0.94, exceeding the $0.52 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 16.4% year over year to $8.72 billion. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.18 per share, representing a 1.7% yield.

Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 54,234 shares of the airline's stock, valued at approximately $2,789,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings 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 valued at $1,303,000 after buying an additional 19,729 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in Southwest Airlines by 5.4% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 61,060 shares of the airline's stock worth $2,050,000 after acquiring an additional 3,141 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 7.6% in 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 period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 73.4% in 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 period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in Southwest Airlines by 47.4% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 307,602 shares of the airline's stock valued at $9,979,000 after acquiring an additional 98,986 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.82% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $47.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Southwest Airlines from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $49.55.

Southwest Airlines Stock Down 2.0%

LUV stock opened at $42.50 on Wednesday. Southwest Airlines Co. has a twelve month low of $29.26 and a twelve month high of $55.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company has a market capitalization of $20.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.07, a PEG ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.14. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $47.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $44.66.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The airline reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $8.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.43 earnings per share. The business's 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, equities research analysts predict that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 3.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 3rd. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Southwest Airlines's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.17%.

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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