Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV Shares Sold by Legal & General Group Plc

Legal & General Group Plc cut its holdings in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 5.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 856,393 shares of the airline’s stock after selling 54,088 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $35,395,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Southwest Airlines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in Southwest Airlines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Optima Capital LLC acquired a new position in Southwest Airlines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Southwest Airlines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Southwest Airlines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 80.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Southwest Airlines Stock Down 0.8%

NYSE:LUV opened at $42.98 on Friday. 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 fifty day moving average is $39.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $41.53. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 52 week low of $28.98 and a 52 week high of $55.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.47 and a beta of 1.12.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The airline reported $0.45 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.13) earnings per share. The company’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. Research analysts anticipate that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 2.81 EPS for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LUV has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $42.00 to $37.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Southwest Airlines from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Evercore upped their price target on Southwest Airlines from $43.00 to $44.00 in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target 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, Wall Street Zen cut Southwest Airlines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Southwest Airlines has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $43.96.

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.