Delta Global Management LP Reduces Position in Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Delta Global Management LP reduced its position in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 23.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 59,186 shares of the airline’s stock after selling 17,690 shares during the period. Delta Global Management LP’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $2,446,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 48,451.6% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. now owns 46,124 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $1,897,000 after purchasing an additional 46,029 shares during the period. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp acquired a new position in Southwest Airlines during the fourth quarter worth $219,000. USS Investment Management Ltd raised its position in Southwest Airlines by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd now owns 82,587 shares of the airline’s stock worth $3,414,000 after acquiring an additional 648 shares during the period. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC raised its position in Southwest Airlines by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 51,779 shares of the airline’s stock worth $2,140,000 after acquiring an additional 2,819 shares during the period. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC raised its position in Southwest Airlines by 17.7% during the fourth quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 36,627 shares of the airline’s stock worth $1,514,000 after acquiring an additional 5,510 shares during the period. 80.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Southwest Airlines Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of LUV stock opened at $46.10 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.48 and a quick ratio of 0.41. The firm has a market cap of $22.53 billion, a PE ratio of 29.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a 50-day moving average of $40.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $42.38. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 1-year low of $28.98 and a 1-year high of $55.11.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The airline reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.45. The company had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.46 billion. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 2.83% and a return on equity of 10.66%. Southwest Airlines’s revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.13) earnings per share. Southwest Airlines has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.350-0.650 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 2.81 EPS for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Shareholders 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 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 11th. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.45%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on LUV. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $57.50 to $45.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. Susquehanna dropped their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $55.00 to $42.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $50.00 to $44.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 16th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Southwest Airlines currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $44.21.

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.