Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. Sells 14,674 Shares of Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

01 Mar 2026, 11:40 by Sarita Garza · The Markets Daily

Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. lowered its holdings in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV – Free Report) by 20.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 57,013 shares of the airline’s stock after selling 14,674 shares during the quarter. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc.’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $1,819,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LUV. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 2,403.8% during the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 10,120,368 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $328,305,000 after purchasing an additional 9,716,160 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 13.6% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,218,086 shares of the airline’s stock worth $389,879,000 after buying an additional 1,459,235 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $41,663,000. Crake Asset Management LLP acquired a new stake in Southwest Airlines in the 2nd quarter valued at $33,738,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its position in Southwest Airlines by 315.3% in the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 1,247,837 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $40,480,000 after acquiring an additional 947,346 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.82% of the company’s stock.

Key Southwest Airlines News

Here are the key news stories impacting Southwest Airlines this week:

Positive Sentiment: Management’s overhaul and 2026 guidance are supporting investor confidence — coverage notes the transformation and clearer FY‑2026 targets that helped lift sentiment. A Look At Southwest Airlines (LUV) Valuation As Its Overhaul And 2026 Guidance Boost Investor Confidence
Positive Sentiment: Product changes (assigned seating, extra‑legroom options, expanded distribution, free Wi‑Fi for Rapid Rewards) plus a large 2025 shareholder return (~$2.9B) are reframing Southwest from a low‑cost carrier to a differentiated, revenue‑enhancing operator. Is Southwest’s Bold Shift To Assigned Seating And Perks Altering The Investment Case For LUV?
Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen upgraded LUV from Hold to Buy with a $66 price target, signaling analyst optimism and adding potential upside from improved sentiment and coverage. Benzinga note on TD Cowen upgrade
Positive Sentiment: Short interest dropped meaningfully in February (≈22.6% decline), reducing immediate short‑pressure and indicating some bearish positions have been covered. (Market data summarized publicly.)
Neutral Sentiment: Recent earnings showed a modest EPS beat but a revenue miss; market reaction since the report has been positive overall (LUV up ~5% since earnings), but investors are now parsing forward guidance and execution risks. Why Is Southwest (LUV) Up 5% Since Last Earnings Report?
Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and commentators are debating valuation — some see LUV as still attractive given execution and margin upside, while others flag stretched momentum after the recent run. Are Investors Undervaluing Southwest Airlines (LUV) Right Now?
Negative Sentiment: Sector headwinds: rising crude oil and broader airline weakness (notably United and Delta share drops) are pressuring airline multiples and can offset Southwest’s company‑level gains. United Airlines, Delta Stocks Fall. Why Airlines Are Getting Crushed.
Negative Sentiment: Investor caution remains because higher industry labor costs and legacy carriers’ balance‑sheet issues keep the sector sensitive to macro shocks, which can trigger short‑term pullbacks even for stronger operators. AAL Benefits From Improved Air-Travel Demand Amid High Costs

Southwest Airlines Trading Down 3.4%

LUV stock opened at $49.20 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. Southwest Airlines Co. has a twelve month low of $23.82 and a twelve month high of $55.11. The company has a market cap of $24.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.57, a PEG ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 1.15. The business has a fifty day moving average of $46.30 and a 200-day moving average of $37.88.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The airline reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.02. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 6.18% and a net margin of 1.57%.The firm had revenue of $7.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.51 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.56 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Southwest Airlines has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.000- EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.450- EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 1.55 EPS for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, March 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 12th. Southwest Airlines’s payout ratio is 85.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LUV has been the topic of several analyst reports. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $54.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Southwest Airlines from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $51.00 to $73.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Southwest Airlines from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Southwest Airlines presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $49.03.

View Our Latest Report on LUV

Southwest Airlines Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.