Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) Stock Price Target Cut by UBS Group

Key Points

• UBS Group cut Southwest Airlines’ price target from $53 to $52 while maintaining a “buy” rating, implying approximately 30.6% upside from the reported $39.82 share price.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: the stock has an overall “hold” consensus rating, with nine buy, nine hold, and four sell ratings, and an average price target of $47.41.
• Southwest beat quarterly expectations, reporting $0.94 in EPS versus a $0.52 consensus estimate and $8.72 billion in revenue; institutional investors own approximately 80.8% of the company.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV - Get Free Report) had its target price decreased by equities research analysts at UBS Group from $53.00 to $52.00 in a report released on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "buy" rating on the airline's stock. UBS Group's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 30.59% from the stock's current price.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on LUV. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $65.00 to $58.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 11th. Wall Street Zen cut Southwest Airlines from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, September 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 24th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Southwest Airlines from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $47.41.

Southwest Airlines Stock Performance

Southwest Airlines stock traded down $1.01 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $39.82. 1,968,210 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,403,292. Southwest Airlines has a 52 week low of $29.26 and a 52 week high of $55.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.49. The firm has a market cap of $19.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.16. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $41.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $42.80.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The airline reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.42. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 14.15% and a net margin of 2.78%. The company had revenue of $8.72 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.58 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.43 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Southwest Airlines has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.250-4.250 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.500-0.750 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Southwest Airlines will post 2.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Southwest Airlines

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Archer Investment Corp bought a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Fiduciary Financial Advisors acquired a new stake in Southwest Airlines during the second quarter worth approximately $32,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Southwest Airlines during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust grew its position in Southwest Airlines by 109.4% during the second quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 871 shares of the airline's stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 455 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.82% of the company's stock.

Southwest Airlines Company Profile

Southwest Airlines Co is a U.S. commercial airline headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol LUV. The company was founded in 1967 and began operating scheduled passenger service in 1971, initially serving cities in Texas before expanding across the United States.

Southwest primarily provides scheduled air transportation for passengers and also offers air cargo services. Its operations are centered on a large Boeing 737 fleet, supporting frequent service between major cities and regional airports.

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