Strs Ohio Increases Stock Position in Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Strs Ohio lifted its position in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 665.1% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 301,720 shares of the airline’s stock after acquiring an additional 262,283 shares during the period. Strs Ohio’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $11,336,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on LUV shares. Bank of America lifted their price target on Southwest Airlines from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 1st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Southwest Airlines from $45.00 to $58.50 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Evercore boosted their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $52.00 in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Southwest Airlines has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $48.43.

Southwest Airlines Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LUV opened at $50.21 on Monday. 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $43.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $43.59. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 1-year low of $28.98 and a 1-year high of $55.11. The firm has a market cap of $24.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 1.12.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The airline reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.45. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 10.66% and a net margin of 2.83%.The firm had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.46 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.13) earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. Southwest Airlines has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.350-0.650 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 3.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, June 11th were paid a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 11th. Southwest Airlines’s payout ratio is currently 46.45%.

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.