Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) Price Target Lowered to $48.00 at TD Cowen

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) had its price target lowered by analysts at TD Cowen from $53.00 to $48.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the airline’s stock. TD Cowen’s target price indicates a potential upside of 18.42% from the company’s previous close.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the company. UBS Group raised their price target on Southwest Airlines from $53.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $56.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Evercore increased their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $52.00 in a report on Thursday, June 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Raymond James Financial boosted their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $49.30.

Southwest Airlines Price Performance

NYSE LUV traded up $0.15 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $40.53. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 757,157 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,769,742. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.49. The stock has a market cap of $19.83 billion, a PE ratio of 24.89, a PEG ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 1.14. The company’s 50-day moving average is $47.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $44.49. Southwest Airlines has a fifty-two week low of $29.26 and a fifty-two week high of $55.11.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The airline reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.42. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 14.15% and a net margin of 2.78%.The company had revenue of $8.72 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.43 earnings per share. Southwest Airlines’s revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. Analysts forecast that Southwest Airlines will post 3.41 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Southwest Airlines

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Southwest Airlines during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in Southwest Airlines in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Southwest Airlines in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the first quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, DV Equities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.82% of the company’s stock.

About Southwest Airlines

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.