North Dakota State Investment Board Acquires Shares of 52,968 Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Key Points

• North Dakota State Investment Board opened a new position in Southwest Airlines, buying 52,968 shares worth about $2.19 million in the fourth quarter.
• Institutional ownership remains high, with several large investors increasing their stakes; overall, about 80.82% of Southwest’s stock is held by institutions and hedge funds.
• Southwest reported Q1 earnings of $0.45 per share, matching estimates, but revenue of $7.25 billion came in below expectations. The company also declared a $0.18 quarterly dividend and guided Q2 2026 EPS to 0.35–0.65.

North Dakota State Investment Board acquired a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 52,968 shares of the airline's stock, valued at approximately $2,189,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Southwest Airlines by 43.7% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,335,167 shares of the airline's stock valued at $393,615,000 after acquiring an additional 3,753,183 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 13.6% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,218,086 shares of the airline's stock valued at $389,879,000 after purchasing an additional 1,459,235 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,837,197 shares of the airline's stock valued at $218,175,000 after purchasing an additional 577,326 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,425,339 shares of the airline's stock valued at $141,213,000 after purchasing an additional 26,608 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 2,468.4% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,752,352 shares of the airline's stock valued at $155,085,000 after purchasing an additional 3,606,255 shares during the period. 80.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Southwest Airlines Stock Performance

NYSE:LUV opened at $38.33 on Tuesday. 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 fifty day moving average of $39.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $40.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.73 billion, a PE ratio of 24.73, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.12. Southwest Airlines Co. has a fifty-two week low of $28.98 and a fifty-two week high of $55.11.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV - Get Free Report) 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. The company had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.46 billion. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 2.83% and a return on equity of 10.66%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.13) earnings per share. Southwest Airlines has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.350-0.650 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 11th will be given a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 11th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. Southwest Airlines's dividend payout ratio is currently 46.45%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LUV has been the subject of several analyst reports. Evercore boosted their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $43.00 to $44.00 in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $42.00 to $40.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Southwest Airlines from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $54.00 to $44.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Southwest Airlines presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target 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.

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