Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters, and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

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Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters, and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

The Company’s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") and is traded under the symbol "LUV." Although the Company has a history of declaring dividends on a quarterly basis, the Company has not paid a dividend since its 174th consecutive quarterly dividend which was declared and paid in first quarter 2020. Pursuant to the Payroll Support Program under the CARES Act, as supplemented by the Payroll Support Program Extension, the Company is prohibited from paying dividends with respect to its common stock through March 31, 2022. Following the expiration of CARES Act and Payroll Support Program Extension restrictions, the Company’s Board of Directors will have sole discretion regarding the timing, amount, and payment of dividends on the basis of operational results, financial condition, cash requirements, future prospects, and other factors deemed relevant by the Board. As of February 4, 2021, there were approximately 11,858 holders of record of the Company’s common stock.

Stock Performance Graph

The following Performance Graph and related information shall not be deemed "soliciting material" or "filed" with the Securities and Exchange Commission, nor shall such information be incorporated by reference into any future filing under the Securities Act of 1933 or Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

The following graph compares the cumulative total shareholder return on the Company’s common stock over the five-year period ended December 31, 2020, with the cumulative total return during such period of the Standard and Poor’s 500 Stock Index and the NYSE ARCA Airline Index. The comparison assumes $100 was invested on December 31, 2015, in the Company’s common stock and in each of the foregoing indices and assumes reinvestment of dividends. The stock performance shown on the graph below represents historical stock performance and is not necessarily indicative of future stock price performance.

COMPARISON OF FIVE YEAR CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN AMONG SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO., S&P 500 INDEX, AND NYSE ARCA AIRLINE INDEX

luv-20201231_g2.jpg

12/31/201512/31/201612/31/201712/31/201812/31/201912/31/2020
Southwest Airlines Co.$100$117$155$111$131$113
S&P 500$100$112$136$130$171$203
NYSE ARCA Airline$100$129$136$107$132$100

Issuer Repurchases

On May 15, 2019, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $2.0 billion of the Company’s common stock. Subject to certain conditions, including restrictions on the Company pursuant to the CARES Act and Payroll Support Program Extension through March 31, 2022, repurchases may be made in accordance with applicable securities laws in open market or private, including accelerated, repurchase transactions from time to time, depending on market conditions. The Company has announced it has suspended further share repurchase activity until further notice. The Company has approximately $899 million remaining under its current share repurchase authorization.

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