SkyWest (NASDAQ:SKYW) Releases Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.04 EPS

SkyWest (NASDAQ:SKYW) released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The transportation company reported $2.21 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.25 by ($0.04), FiscalAI reports. The business had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $993.12 million. SkyWest had a return on equity of 16.61% and a net margin of 10.56%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.34 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from SkyWest’s conference call:

• SkyWest reported Q4 GAAP net income of $91 million and full-year net income of $428 million, converting 15% production growth into a 31% increase in pre-tax income while generating $982 million EBITDA, >$400 million free cash flow and reducing debt by about $1 billion in the last three years.
• Management announced multiyear extensions for 40 E175s with United and 13 E175s with Delta, has 69 E175s on firm order (25 allocated to majors) and expects its E175 fleet to approach ~300 aircraft by end of 2028, with no major E175 expirations until late 2028.
• SkyWest continues to face elevated maintenance/MRO challenges and expects 2026 maintenance expense roughly in line with 2025 as it invests to return parked aircraft to service, and disclosed a ~$7 million Q4 hit from the government shutdown.
• For 2026 the company now targets mid-single-digit block hour growth, EPS in the mid?$11s, about 9 E175 deliveries, and ~$600–625 million of CapEx, while warning of sharper seasonality with Q1 flat-to-down vs Q4.

SkyWest Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SKYW opened at $96.52 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The company has a market capitalization of $3.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.66. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $101.30 and a 200 day moving average of $104.87. SkyWest has a 52 week low of $74.70 and a 52 week high of $135.57.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on SKYW shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of SkyWest in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research downgraded shares of SkyWest from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Wall Street Zen cut SkyWest from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 1st. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of SkyWest in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $112.00 target price for the company. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald set a $122.00 price objective on shares of SkyWest in a report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $123.83.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Meredith Siegfried Madden sold 4,725 shares of SkyWest stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.54, for a total transaction of $503,401.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 25,362 shares in the company, valued at $2,702,067.48. The trade was a 15.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SkyWest

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in shares of SkyWest by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 548,682 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $55,208,000 after buying an additional 7,862 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in SkyWest by 90.6% during the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 351,149 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $35,333,000 after acquiring an additional 166,926 shares during the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd lifted its stake in shares of SkyWest by 13.6% in the 3rd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 290,014 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,181,000 after purchasing an additional 34,763 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its stake in shares of SkyWest by 6.7% in the 2nd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 156,631 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $16,128,000 after acquiring an additional 9,862 shares during the period. Finally, UBS Group AG boosted its stake in shares of SkyWest by 52.3% in the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 151,650 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $15,259,000 after purchasing an additional 52,108 shares during the period. 81.30% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More SkyWest News

Here are the key news stories impacting SkyWest this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and contract renewals — TD Cowen’s Thomas Fitzgerald kept a Buy rating and $122 price target, noting contract extensions, a strong balance sheet and deferred?revenue tailwinds that support multi?year cash flow and demand visibility. SkyWest: Contract Extensions, Strong Balance Sheet, and Deferred Revenue Tailwinds Underpin Buy Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Fleet & 2026 growth plan — Management guided to mid?single?digit block?hour growth for 2026, robust fleet plans and $600M–$625M of capex, signaling continued revenue expansion potential as travel demand normalizes. SkyWest outlines mid-single-digit block hour growth and $600M–$625M CapEx for 2026 amid contract extensions and robust fleet plans
• Positive Sentiment: Top?line beat — Q4 revenue of ~$1.02B exceeded Street estimates (?$993M) and revenue rose ~8.5% year?over?year, supporting the case that demand and contract volume remain healthy. SkyWest: Q4 Earnings Snapshot
• Neutral Sentiment: Small EPS miss and margins — SkyWest reported $2.21 EPS vs. consensus $2.25 (and $2.34 a year ago); net margin and ROE remain solid but EPS decline versus prior year tempers the headline. SkyWest (SKYW) Q4 Earnings Lag Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Full release and call detail available — Company filed its Q4/2025 press release and earnings?call transcript, useful for hearing management’s cadence on 2026 cadence and contract discussions. SkyWest, Inc. Announces Fourth Quarter and Annual 2025 Profit SkyWest, Inc. (SKYW) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Shutdown impact and trimmed near?term forecasts — FAA?mandated cancellations tied to the U.S. government shutdown reduced pre?tax income by about $7M in Q4; some coverage notes trimmed forecasts and flagged that operational disruptions remain a risk to near?term results. SkyWest’s Growth Story Faces Test Amid Shutdown, Trimmed Forecasts
• Negative Sentiment: Immediate market reaction was negative — Despite the revenue beat, shares fell intraday (reports cite ~3% decline) as investors focused on the EPS miss, shutdown impact and near?term guidance nuances. SkyWest shares fall 3% despite topping Q4 expectations

SkyWest Company Profile

SkyWest, Inc (NASDAQ: SKYW) is a regional airline holding company that provides air transportation services through its primary subsidiary, SkyWest Airlines. The company operates flights under capacity purchase agreements with major carriers such as United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Alaska Airlines. By specializing in regional connectivity, SkyWest links smaller communities to larger hubs using a fleet of regional jets and turboprop aircraft.

Headquartered in St. George, Utah, SkyWest oversees all aspects of its airline operations, including flight scheduling, crew training and aircraft maintenance.