Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) Given New $35.00 Price Target at Rothschild & Co Redburn

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) had its price target hoisted by Rothschild & Co Redburn from $27.00 to $35.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a sell rating on the airline’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Southwest Airlines from $40.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Susquehanna raised their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Seaport Research Partners lifted their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $57.00 to $58.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Zacks Research raised shares of Southwest Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $48.29.

Southwest Airlines Trading Down 6.9%

Shares of LUV stock opened at $43.92 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $46.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $38.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.45. Southwest Airlines has a 1-year low of $23.82 and a 1-year high of $55.11. The firm has a market cap of $21.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.29, a PEG ratio of 0.33 and a beta of 1.10.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The airline reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $7.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.51 billion. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 1.57% and a return on equity of 6.18%. Southwest Airlines’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.56 earnings per share. Southwest Airlines has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.000- EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.450- EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Southwest Airlines will post 1.55 EPS for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, March 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 12th. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 85.71%.

Institutional Trading of Southwest Airlines

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 100.6% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 39,347 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $1,303,000 after purchasing an additional 19,729 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 5.4% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 61,060 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $2,050,000 after purchasing an additional 3,141 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 7.6% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,459 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $250,000 after purchasing an additional 527 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Southwest Airlines by 9.9% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 450,223 shares of the airline’s stock worth $14,568,000 after buying an additional 40,570 shares during the period. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 81.4% in the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,056 shares of the airline’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 474 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.82% of the company’s stock.

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.