NFJ Investment Group LLC Invests $12.26 Million in Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

NFJ Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 238,457 shares of the airline’s stock, valued at approximately $12,261,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LUV. North Dakota State Investment Board bought a new position in Southwest Airlines during the fourth quarter worth $2,189,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in Southwest Airlines by 954.1% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 127,331 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $4,784,000 after purchasing an additional 115,251 shares during the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 19.3% in the 2nd quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 539,612 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $27,747,000 after purchasing an additional 87,146 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 575,639 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $23,774,000 after purchasing an additional 31,128 shares during the period. Finally, Strs Ohio grew its position in Southwest Airlines by 250.1% in the 4th quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 39,437 shares of the airline’s stock worth $1,630,000 after purchasing an additional 28,172 shares during the last quarter. 80.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Southwest Airlines Price Performance

Shares of Southwest Airlines stock opened at $39.87 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.49. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $47.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $44.56. Southwest Airlines Co. has a twelve month low of $29.26 and a twelve month high of $55.11. The firm has a market cap of $19.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 1.14.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The airline reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.42. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 2.78% and a return on equity of 14.15%. The business had revenue of $8.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.43 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. 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. As a group, research analysts expect that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 3.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LUV has been the topic of several research reports. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $56.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Southwest Airlines from $47.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. UBS Group upped their price target on Southwest Airlines from $53.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $49.55.

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.