Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV Shares Sold by Amundi

Key Points

• Amundi cut its Southwest Airlines stake by 70.6% in the second quarter, selling 1.03 million shares and retaining 429,332 shares valued at approximately $22.1 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 80.82% of LUV.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed, with nine Buy, nine Hold, and four Sell ratings. The stock has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $48.05.
• Southwest reported quarterly earnings of $0.94 per share, exceeding the $0.52 consensus estimate, while revenue reached $8.72 billion. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.18 per share, representing a 1.8% annualized yield.

Amundi decreased its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV - Free Report) by 70.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 429,332 shares of the airline's stock after selling 1,032,012 shares during the quarter. Amundi owned approximately 0.09% of Southwest Airlines worth $22,076,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Southwest Airlines by 100.6% in 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 last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised 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 buying an additional 3,141 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 raised its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 73.4% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,690 shares of the airline's stock worth $185,000 after purchasing an additional 2,408 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 47.4% in the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.82% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on LUV shares. Barclays cut their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $65.00 to $58.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Raymond James Financial reduced their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $60.00 to $54.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Wall Street Zen lowered Southwest Airlines from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, September 5th. Finally, Susquehanna upped their price target on Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $48.05.

Southwest Airlines Trading Up 1.3%

NYSE LUV opened at $39.19 on Friday. Southwest Airlines Co. has a one year low of $29.26 and a one year high of $55.11. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $44.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $43.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.17 billion, a PE ratio of 24.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 1.13.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The airline reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.42. The firm had revenue of $8.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.58 billion. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 2.78% and a return on equity of 14.15%. Southwest Airlines's quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.43 EPS. 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 analysts forecast that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 3.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be given a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 3rd. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. Southwest Airlines's payout ratio is 44.17%.

About Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines Co is a major U.S. passenger airline headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Operating under the Southwest Airlines brand, the company provides scheduled air transportation for domestic and international travelers and also offers air cargo services.

Southwest was founded in 1967 and began commercial service in 1971, initially connecting Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. The airline expanded its network across the United States and now serves numerous destinations in the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and other nearby international markets.

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