The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Purchases Shares of 587,410 Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 587,410 shares of the airline’s stock, valued at approximately $30,205,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned 0.12% of Southwest Airlines at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. SHP Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Fiduciary Financial Advisors acquired a new position in Southwest Airlines in the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, DV Equities LLC acquired a new position in Southwest Airlines in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. 80.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on LUV shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $58.50 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on Southwest Airlines from $53.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Barclays increased their target price on Southwest Airlines from $56.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Wall Street Zen raised Southwest Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, July 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Southwest Airlines from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Southwest Airlines has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $49.01.

Southwest Airlines Stock Performance

NYSE LUV opened at $39.76 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company has a market capitalization of $19.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.39, a P/E/G ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 1.14. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 12-month low of $29.26 and a 12-month high of $55.11. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $46.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $44.15.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The airline reported $0.94 EPS 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 company had revenue of $8.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.58 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.43 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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. Analysts anticipate that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 3.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 3rd. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.17%.

Southwest Airlines Company 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.