Patton Fund Management Inc. Acquires 79,829 Shares of Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Patton Fund Management Inc. increased its holdings in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 1,283.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 86,047 shares of the airline’s stock after purchasing an additional 79,829 shares during the period. Patton Fund Management Inc.’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $3,233,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 71.1% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 33,920 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $1,274,000 after buying an additional 14,092 shares in the last quarter. Generali Investments Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych bought a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 1st quarter worth about $94,000. OLD National Bancorp IN increased its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 16.8% during the 1st quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 19,314 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $726,000 after acquiring an additional 2,772 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $939,000. Finally, Cardinal Point Capital Management ULC raised its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 66.2% in the 1st quarter. Cardinal Point Capital Management ULC now owns 23,631 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $892,000 after acquiring an additional 9,410 shares in the last quarter. 80.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Southwest Airlines Stock Performance

LUV opened at $52.00 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $42.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $43.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.15. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 12-month low of $28.98 and a 12-month high of $55.11.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The airline reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 10.66% and a net margin of 2.83%.The company had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.46 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.13) earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Southwest Airlines has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.350-0.650 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 2.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, June 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 11th. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.45%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on LUV. Argus decreased their target price on Southwest Airlines from $55.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 24th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $53.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Evercore upped their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $52.00 in a report on Thursday. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Southwest Airlines from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $46.36.

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.