Southwest Airlines (LUV) Expected to Announce Earnings on Wednesday

Key Points

• Q1 2026 results are expected before the open on April 22: analysts project EPS of $1.19 and revenue of $8.4569 billion, and Southwest will host an earnings call on April 23 at 10:00 AM ET; the company has set FY 2026 guidance of about $4.00 EPS and Q1 guidance of about $0.45 EPS.
• In the prior quarter Southwest slightly beat EPS ($0.58 vs. $0.56) with revenue of $7.44 billion (up 7.4% YoY), and analysts on average forecast roughly $2.00 EPS for the current and next fiscal years.
• Shares trade around $41.28 with a market cap of $20.27 billion and a P/E of 49.14; consensus rating is "Hold" with an average price target of $43.72, and the company pays a $0.18 quarterly dividend (≈1.7% yield) with a high payout ratio (~85.7%).

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV - Get Free Report) is projected to post its Q1 2026 results before the market opens on Wednesday, April 22nd. Analysts expect Southwest Airlines to post earnings of $1.19 per share and revenue of $8.4569 billion for the quarter. Southwest Airlines has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.000- EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.450- EPS. Individuals can check the company's upcoming Q1 2026 earning summary page for the latest details on the call scheduled for Thursday, April 23, 2026 at 10:00 AM ET.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The airline reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $7.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.51 billion. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 1.57% and a return on equity of 6.18%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.56 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect Southwest Airlines to post $2 EPS for the current fiscal year and $2 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines Stock Performance

NYSE LUV opened at $41.28 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $20.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.14, a PEG ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a 50 day moving average of $44.64 and a 200-day moving average of $39.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. Southwest Airlines has a 1-year low of $23.82 and a 1-year high of $55.11.

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 1.7%. 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. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Southwest Airlines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. DV Equities LLC bought a new position in Southwest Airlines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in Southwest Airlines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. bought a new position in Southwest Airlines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Finally, Strive Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Southwest Airlines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $50,000. 80.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on LUV. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $57.50 to $45.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Seaport Research Partners raised their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $57.00 to $58.00 in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $50.00 to $44.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 16th. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $27.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $59.00 to $56.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Southwest Airlines currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $43.72.

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.

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