Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) Price Target Raised to $44.00

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUVGet Free Report) had its target price increased by equities researchers at Jefferies Financial Group from $37.00 to $44.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has a “hold” rating on the airline’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price objective indicates a potential downside of 7.74% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on LUV. Evercore lifted their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $43.00 to $44.00 in a report on Friday, April 24th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $42.00 to $40.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. UBS Group boosted their target price on Southwest Airlines from $49.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. TD Cowen increased their target price on Southwest Airlines from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $57.50 to $45.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $44.56.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines Stock Performance

Shares of LUV stock traded up $1.61 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $47.69. The company had a trading volume of 633,624 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,592,357. The stock has a market cap of $23.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.81, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.15. 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 company’s 50 day simple moving average is $40.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $42.38. Southwest Airlines has a 52-week low of $28.98 and a 52-week high of $55.11.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUVGet Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The airline reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.45. The firm had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.46 billion. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 10.66% and a net margin of 2.83%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.13) earnings per share. Southwest Airlines has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.350-0.650 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Southwest Airlines will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southwest Airlines

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Southwest Airlines by 25.4% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,506 shares of the airline’s stock worth $620,000 after purchasing an additional 3,346 shares in the last quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. raised its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 89,224 shares of the airline’s stock worth $3,352,000 after buying an additional 2,473 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 34.5% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 7,245 shares of the airline’s stock worth $272,000 after buying an additional 1,859 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 954.1% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 127,331 shares of the airline’s stock worth $4,784,000 after buying an additional 115,251 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cozad Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Southwest Airlines in the 1st quarter valued at about $669,000. 80.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Southwest Airlines Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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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