BMO Capital Markets Boosts Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) Price Target to $58.50

Posted by George Bondi on Jul 2nd, 2026

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV – Get Free Report) had its target price lifted by stock analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $45.00 to $58.50 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the airline’s stock. BMO Capital Markets’ target price would suggest a potential upside of 15.86% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Bank of America increased their target price on Southwest Airlines from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. HSBC upgraded Southwest Airlines from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $24.40 to $36.10 in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $56.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Southwest Airlines currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $48.43.

Get Our Latest Research Report on Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines Stock Performance

Southwest Airlines stock traded up $0.02 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $50.49. 1,180,106 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,546,798. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $42.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $43.47. The firm has a market cap of $24.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.63, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.48. Southwest Airlines has a 52 week low of $28.98 and a 52 week high of $55.11.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The airline reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45. The company had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.46 billion. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 10.66% and a net margin of 2.83%.The business’s revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.13) earnings per share. Southwest Airlines has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.350-0.650 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Southwest Airlines will post 2.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southwest Airlines

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LUV. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines during the fourth quarter worth $172,038,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 43.7% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,335,167 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $393,615,000 after purchasing an additional 3,753,183 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 2,468.4% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,752,352 shares of the airline’s stock worth $155,085,000 after purchasing an additional 3,606,255 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $143,450,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 40,200,530 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $1,661,488,000 after buying an additional 2,626,853 shares during the last quarter. 80.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.