Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) Given New $65.00 Price Target at Barclays

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) had its target price boosted by research analysts at Barclays from $56.00 to $65.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the airline’s stock. Barclays‘s price target would suggest a potential upside of 23.76% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Southwest Airlines from $58.00 to $56.00 in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Evercore raised their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $43.00 to $44.00 in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings lowered Southwest Airlines from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Southwest Airlines from $37.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $55.00 to $42.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $45.80.

Southwest Airlines Trading Up 3.1%

Shares of LUV stock traded up $1.58 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $52.52. 499,236 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,602,199. The stock has a market cap of $25.67 billion, a PE ratio of 33.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 1.15. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $41.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $43.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Southwest Airlines has a 12 month low of $28.98 and a 12 month high of $55.11.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The airline reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.45. The company had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.46 billion. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 2.83% and a return on equity of 10.66%. Southwest Airlines’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.13) earnings per share. Southwest Airlines has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.350-0.650 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Southwest Airlines will post 2.93 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Southwest Airlines

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Southwest Airlines in the fourth quarter worth approximately $172,038,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 43.7% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,335,167 shares of the airline’s stock worth $393,615,000 after purchasing an additional 3,753,183 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 2,468.4% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,752,352 shares of the airline’s stock worth $155,085,000 after purchasing an additional 3,606,255 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines in the 4th quarter worth $143,450,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 40,200,530 shares of the airline’s stock worth $1,661,488,000 after purchasing an additional 2,626,853 shares in the last quarter. 80.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.