Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Purchases New Shares in Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 615,600 shares of the airline's stock, valued at approximately $31,654,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned 0.13% of Southwest Airlines as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of LUV. North Dakota State Investment Board bought a new position in Southwest Airlines during the 4th quarter worth $2,189,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in Southwest Airlines by 954.1% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 127,331 shares of the airline's stock worth $4,784,000 after purchasing an additional 115,251 shares during the period. Gradient Investments LLC lifted its position in Southwest Airlines by 19.3% during the second quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 539,612 shares of the airline's stock worth $27,747,000 after purchasing an additional 87,146 shares during the period. Kercheville Advisors LLC grew its stake in Southwest Airlines by 111.7% during the fourth quarter. Kercheville Advisors LLC now owns 129,524 shares of the airline's stock worth $5,497,000 after buying an additional 68,350 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio increased its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 250.1% in the 4th quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 39,437 shares of the airline's stock valued at $1,630,000 after buying an additional 28,172 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.82% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on LUV shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Southwest Airlines from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Zacks Research raised shares of Southwest Airlines from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Susquehanna increased their price target on Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $49.55.

Southwest Airlines Stock Down 3.7%

NYSE:LUV opened at $39.87 on Friday. Southwest Airlines Co. has a one year low of $29.26 and a one year high of $55.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.49 and a quick ratio of 0.42. The company has a market cap of $19.50 billion, a PE ratio of 24.46, a P/E/G ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 1.14. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $47.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $44.56.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The airline reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.42. The firm had revenue of $8.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.58 billion. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 2.78% and a return on equity of 14.15%. The company's revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.43 EPS. Southwest Airlines has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.250-4.250 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.500-0.750 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 3.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be issued a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 3rd. Southwest Airlines's dividend payout ratio is presently 44.17%.

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.

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