Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Grows Position in Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 5.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 575,639 shares of the airline’s stock after purchasing an additional 31,128 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $23,774,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in LUV. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Optima Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. 80.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Southwest Airlines Stock Down 0.2%

LUV stock opened at $41.29 on Friday. Southwest Airlines Co. has a fifty-two week low of $28.98 and a fifty-two week high of $55.11. The business’s 50-day moving average is $40.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $40.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.48. The company has a market cap of $20.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.64, a P/E/G ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 1.12.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The airline reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.13) earnings per share. Southwest Airlines’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. As a group, analysts forecast that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 2.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 11th will be given a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 11th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.45%.

Key Headlines Impacting Southwest Airlines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Southwest declared its 189th consecutive quarterly dividend, reinforcing its commitment to returning cash to shareholders and supporting the stock for income investors.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research sharply raised its long-term earnings outlook for Southwest, lifting FY2028 EPS estimates to $5.70 from $5.00 and increasing several future-period forecasts, suggesting confidence in earnings growth over time.
• Positive Sentiment: The same research firm also raised estimates for Q1 2027 and Q3 2027, indicating improving expectations beyond the near term. Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) research page

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on LUV shares. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Southwest Airlines from $57.50 to $45.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Seaport Research Partners lifted their price target on Southwest Airlines from $57.00 to $58.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Wall Street Zen cut Southwest Airlines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Southwest Airlines from $50.00 to $44.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on Southwest Airlines from $54.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $44.11.

Southwest Airlines 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.