BNP Paribas Exane Issues Positive Forecast for Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) Stock Price

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) had its price objective upped by BNP Paribas Exane from $24.00 to $33.00 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. BNP Paribas Exane currently has an underperform rating on the airline’s stock.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on LUV. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Southwest Airlines in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Seaport Research Partners increased their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $57.00 to $58.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $44.22.

Southwest Airlines Stock Down 2.2%

NYSE LUV opened at $40.91 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.52. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $43.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $40.16. Southwest Airlines has a twelve month low of $24.07 and a twelve month high of $55.11. The stock has a market cap of $20.09 billion, a PE ratio of 48.70, a PEG ratio of 0.47 and a beta of 1.19.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The airline reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.51 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.56 earnings per share. The firm’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. On average, research analysts forecast that Southwest Airlines will post 2.72 EPS for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 12th were issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 85.71%.

Institutional Trading of Southwest Airlines

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LUV. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. 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.