Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) Given New $42.00 Price Target at Jefferies Financial Group
by Sarita Garza · The Markets DailySouthwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV – Get Free Report) had its price objective boosted by Jefferies Financial Group from $41.00 to $42.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has a “hold” rating on the airline’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 10.34% from the stock’s current price.
A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on the company. Bank of America lowered their target price on Southwest Airlines from $42.00 to $40.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $27.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Southwest Airlines from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the company from $43.00 to $57.50 in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Evercore lifted their price target on Southwest Airlines from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $44.94.
Read Our Latest Analysis on Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines Trading Up 1.3%
LUV traded up $0.49 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $38.06. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,730,546 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,096,475. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.31, a PEG ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 1.10. Southwest Airlines has a twelve month low of $23.82 and a twelve month high of $55.11. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $45.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $39.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.
Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The airline reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.02. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 1.57% and a return on equity of 6.18%. The business had revenue of $7.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.51 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.56 earnings per share. Southwest Airlines’s revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Southwest Airlines has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.000- EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.450- EPS. Analysts anticipate that Southwest Airlines will post 1.55 EPS for the current year.
Institutional Trading of Southwest Airlines
Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. MCF Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 28.5% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 915 shares of the airline’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 21,148 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $843,000 after buying an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 7.5% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 3,063 shares of the airline’s stock worth $127,000 after buying an additional 213 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 16,437 shares of the airline’s stock worth $682,000 after acquiring an additional 235 shares during the period. Finally, Transcend Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,726 shares of the airline’s stock worth $278,000 after acquiring an additional 272 shares during the period. 80.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Southwest Airlines Company Profile
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.