Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV – Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twenty-two brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have assigned a hold recommendation and nine have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $48.3050.
A number of research analysts recently issued reports on LUV shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Southwest Airlines from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Weiss Ratings raised Southwest Airlines from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $65.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 11th.
Get Our Latest Stock Report on Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines Trading Up 0.1%
Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The airline reported $0.94 earnings per share (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 analyst estimates of $8.58 billion. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 2.78% and a return on equity of 14.15%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.43 EPS. 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. Equities research analysts predict that Southwest Airlines will post 3.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 3rd. Southwest Airlines’s payout ratio is 44.17%.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Southwest Airlines
A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of LUV. WINTON GROUP Ltd grew its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 218.8% during the second quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 93,837 shares of the airline’s stock worth $4,825,000 after purchasing an additional 64,402 shares in the last quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP increased its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 75.1% in the second quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 814,820 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $41,898,000 after buying an additional 349,394 shares during the last quarter. RFG Advisory LLC raised its stake in Southwest Airlines by 8.7% in the second quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 22,992 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $1,182,000 after buying an additional 1,836 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in Southwest Airlines by 10.5% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 140,652 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $7,232,000 after buying an additional 13,321 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 22.8% during the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 10,339 shares of the airline’s stock worth $532,000 after buying an additional 1,923 shares during the last quarter. 80.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
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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