Bank of New York Mellon Corp Grows Stake in Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 40.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,747,665 shares of the airline’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,086,101 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $154,891,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. One Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Southwest Airlines in the 4th quarter worth approximately $218,000. BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. bought a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines in the 4th quarter worth approximately $9,241,000. Core Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Southwest Airlines during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $55,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc increased its position in Southwest Airlines by 110.9% during the 4th quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc now owns 21,201 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $876,000 after buying an additional 11,149 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Southwest Airlines during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $172,038,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.82% of the company’s stock.

Southwest Airlines Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of LUV stock opened at $41.61 on Friday. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 12-month low of $28.98 and a 12-month high of $55.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $39.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $41.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 1.15.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The airline reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.45. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 10.66% and a net margin of 2.83%.The firm had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.46 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.13) earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Southwest Airlines has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.350-0.650 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 2.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

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 paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 11th. Southwest Airlines’s payout ratio is presently 46.45%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on LUV shares. Weiss Ratings raised Southwest Airlines from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Raymond James Financial raised their price target on Southwest Airlines from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Southwest Airlines from $58.00 to $56.00 in a research note on Friday, March 27th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Southwest Airlines from $49.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price on Southwest Airlines from $54.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $44.21.

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.