Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV – Free Report) had its target price decreased by UBS Group from $56.00 to $49.00 in a research report released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the airline’s stock.
Several other research firms have also commented on LUV. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Southwest Airlines from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 24th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $48.05.
Get Our Latest Stock Report on Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines Stock Performance
Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The airline reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.42. The company had revenue of $8.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.58 billion. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 14.15% and a net margin of 2.78%.Southwest Airlines’s revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.43 earnings per share. 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, equities analysts anticipate that Southwest Airlines will post 3.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement
The business also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 3rd. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.17%.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southwest Airlines
A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LUV. WINTON GROUP Ltd lifted its stake in Southwest Airlines by 218.8% in the 2nd quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 93,837 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $4,825,000 after purchasing an additional 64,402 shares during the last quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP lifted its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 75.1% in the 2nd quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 814,820 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $41,898,000 after acquiring an additional 349,394 shares during the last quarter. RFG Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 8.7% in the 2nd quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 22,992 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $1,182,000 after acquiring an additional 1,836 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 10.5% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 140,652 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $7,232,000 after acquiring an additional 13,321 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 22.8% during the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 10,339 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $532,000 after acquiring an additional 1,923 shares in the last quarter. 80.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
About Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines Co is a major U.S. passenger airline headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Operating under the Southwest Airlines brand, the company provides scheduled air transportation for domestic and international travelers and also offers air cargo services.
Southwest was founded in 1967 and began commercial service in 1971, initially connecting Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. The airline expanded its network across the United States and now serves numerous destinations in the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and other nearby international markets.
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