Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) Given New $47.00 Price Target at TD Cowen

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) had its target price lifted by TD Cowen from $46.00 to $47.00 in a report issued on Monday,MarketScreener reports. They currently have a buy rating on the airline’s stock.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price target on Southwest Airlines from $27.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Southwest Airlines from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $54.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 20th. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $42.00 to $40.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $59.00 to $56.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $44.11.

Southwest Airlines Stock Performance

Shares of LUV stock opened at $38.29 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $42.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $40.34. The firm has a market cap of $18.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.70, a PEG ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 1.19. Southwest Airlines has a 1 year low of $26.26 and a 1 year high of $55.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.48.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The airline reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.45. The business had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.46 billion. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 10.66% and a net margin of 2.83%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.13) EPS. Southwest Airlines has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.350-0.650 EPS. Analysts predict that Southwest Airlines will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 12th were paid a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 12th. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.45%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Southwest Airlines

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of LUV. HB Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Southwest Airlines by 6.3% during the 1st quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,590 shares of the airline’s stock worth $586,000 after buying an additional 926 shares during the last quarter. First Dallas Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 41.1% in the 1st quarter. First Dallas Securities Inc. now owns 15,975 shares of the airline’s stock worth $600,000 after acquiring an additional 4,650 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System boosted its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 0.6% in the first quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 405,815 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $15,246,000 after acquiring an additional 2,340 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd increased its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 93.7% during the first quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 372,178 shares of the airline’s stock worth $13,983,000 after acquiring an additional 180,040 shares during the period. Finally, Leonteq Securities AG increased its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 63.4% during the first quarter. Leonteq Securities AG now owns 8,240 shares of the airline’s stock worth $310,000 after acquiring an additional 3,196 shares during the period. 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.