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

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH reduced its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 46.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 40,936 shares of the airline’s stock after selling 35,072 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $1,692,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of LUV. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,726 shares of the airline’s stock worth $278,000 after acquiring an additional 272 shares during the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 19,268 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $792,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 1.4% during the second quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 24,857 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $806,000 after acquiring an additional 333 shares during the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 3.3% during the third quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 10,791 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $344,000 after acquiring an additional 343 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zacks Investment Management increased its position in Southwest Airlines by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 83,070 shares of the airline’s stock worth $2,651,000 after purchasing an additional 348 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.82% of the company’s stock.

Southwest Airlines Price Performance

LUV opened at $38.82 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $41.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $40.35. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 52-week low of $28.79 and a 52-week high of $55.11. 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 company 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.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The airline reported $0.45 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.13) earnings per share. The company’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. On average, analysts expect that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 2.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 12th were paid a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio is 46.45%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LUV has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $54.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 20th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Southwest Airlines from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Zacks Research cut Southwest Airlines from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average 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.