Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Lowers Stock Holdings in Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH cut its stake in Southwest Airlines by 46.1% in Q4, selling 35,072 shares and leaving it with 40,936 shares worth about $1.69 million.
• Several large institutions materially changed positions—Ameriprise and JPMorgan significantly increased holdings and SG Americas Securities added 3,606,255 shares (a 2,468.4% jump); institutional investors now own about 80.82% of the stock.
• Wall Street sentiment is mixed after recent downgrades and target cuts, leaving a consensus rating of Hold and a $44.11 target, while Southwest’s latest quarter matched EPS expectations but missed revenue ($7.25B vs. $8.46B) and pays a $0.18 quarterly dividend (≈1.9% yield).

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lessened its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV - Free Report) by 46.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 40,936 shares of the airline's stock after selling 35,072 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH's holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $1,692,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 43.7% in the third 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 in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 13.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,218,086 shares of the airline's stock worth $389,879,000 after acquiring an additional 1,459,235 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,837,197 shares of the airline's stock worth $218,175,000 after acquiring an additional 577,326 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position 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 last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position 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 last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.82% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LUV has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup cut their price target on Southwest Airlines from $54.00 to $44.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Argus dropped their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $55.00 to $45.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on Southwest Airlines from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their target price on Southwest Airlines from $27.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their price target on Southwest Airlines from $55.00 to $42.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $44.11.

Southwest Airlines Stock Up 2.4%

Shares of NYSE:LUV opened at $38.82 on Friday. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 1-year low of $28.79 and a 1-year high of $55.11. 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 stock has a market cap of $18.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.05, a P/E/G ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 1.12. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $41.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $40.35.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The airline reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.45. The firm had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.46 billion. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 10.66% and a net margin of 2.83%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.13) EPS. Southwest Airlines has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.350-0.650 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 2.9 EPS for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 12th were paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Southwest Airlines's dividend payout ratio is 46.45%.

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.

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