Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) PT Lowered to $25.00 at TD Cowen

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) had its price objective reduced by TD Cowen from $26.00 to $25.00 in a report issued on Friday, Marketbeat.com reports. They currently have a hold rating on the airline’s stock.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on LUV. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $30.00 to $27.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Southwest Airlines from a hold rating to a buy rating and increased their price target for the company from $28.00 to $42.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $24.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Southwest Airlines from $40.00 to $38.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Raymond James boosted their price target on Southwest Airlines from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $31.18.

Southwest Airlines Stock Performance

Shares of LUV opened at $27.03 on Friday. Southwest Airlines has a one year low of $21.91 and a one year high of $39.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.17 billion, a PE ratio of 42.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $30.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $28.56.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The airline reported ($0.36) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.34) by ($0.02). Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 8.91% and a net margin of 1.59%. The firm had revenue of $6.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.42 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.27) EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Southwest Airlines will post 1.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 6th were given a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 5th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.66%. Southwest Airlines’s payout ratio is currently 114.29%.

Institutional Trading of Southwest Airlines

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Gradient Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 37.8% in the fourth quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 378,428 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $10,929,000 after acquiring an additional 103,834 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates lifted its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 32.4% in the 4th quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 506,762 shares of the airline’s stock worth $14,635,000 after purchasing an additional 124,054 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Southwest Airlines by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,077,158 shares of the airline’s stock worth $83,299,000 after purchasing an additional 23,715 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 24.8% during the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 823,779 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $22,506,000 after buying an additional 163,544 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisor Resource Council raised its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 53.7% during the fourth quarter. Advisor Resource Council now owns 14,826 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $428,000 after buying an additional 5,178 shares during the last quarter. 80.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Southwest Airlines Company Profile

Southwest Airlines Co operates as a passenger airline company that provides scheduled air transportation services in the United States and near-international markets. As of December 31, 2023, the company operated a total fleet of 817 Boeing 737 aircraft; and served 121 destinations in 42 states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, as well as ten near-international countries, including Mexico, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Aruba, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Belize, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and Turks and Caicos.