Barclays Has Lowered Expectations for Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) Stock Price

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) had its price target cut by investment analysts at Barclays from $32.00 to $26.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “equal weight” rating on the airline’s stock. Barclays‘s target price would suggest a potential downside of 1.85% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on the stock. Melius Research upgraded shares of Southwest Airlines from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their price target for the company from $28.00 to $34.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Citigroup cut their target price on Southwest Airlines from $30.00 to $23.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Southwest Airlines from $25.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Bank of America restated an “underperform” rating and set a $31.00 price objective (down from $33.00) on shares of Southwest Airlines in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $34.00 to $25.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Southwest Airlines presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $30.54.

Southwest Airlines Trading Up 0.1 %

NYSE:LUV opened at $26.49 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.79, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.94. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $29.43 and a 200 day simple moving average of $31.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.85. Southwest Airlines has a 12-month low of $23.58 and a 12-month high of $36.12.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The airline reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.18) by $0.05. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 1.69% and a return on equity of 5.77%. The company had revenue of $6.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.47 billion. Equities research analysts predict that Southwest Airlines will post 1.55 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Southwest Airlines

In related news, Director C. David Cush purchased 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $30.03 per share, with a total value of $150,150.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 19,011 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $570,900.33. This trade represents a 35.69 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.79% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LUV. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Southwest Airlines in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 186.7% in the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 883 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 575 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. boosted its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 196.3% in the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. now owns 889 shares of the airline’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 589 shares during the period. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines during the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Quent Capital LLC raised its position in Southwest Airlines by 78.6% during the first quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,472 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 648 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 operates as a passenger airline company that provides scheduled air transportation services in the United States and near-international markets. As of December 31, 2023, the company operated a total fleet of 817 Boeing 737 aircraft; and served 121 destinations in 42 states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, as well as ten near-international countries, including Mexico, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Aruba, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Belize, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and Turks and Caicos.