Seaport Res Ptn Issues Positive Forecast for LUV Earnings

Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) – Research analysts at Seaport Res Ptn lifted their Q1 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Southwest Airlines in a report issued on Wednesday, March 12th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst D. Mckenzie now anticipates that the airline will post earnings per share of ($0.18) for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of ($0.25). The consensus estimate for Southwest Airlines’ current full-year earnings is $1.55 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Southwest Airlines’ Q2 2025 earnings at $0.85 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $0.45 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $0.80 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $1.95 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $4.75 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $5.50 EPS.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The airline reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.11. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 5.77% and a net margin of 1.69%.

LUV has been the subject of a number of other reports. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $42.00 target price on shares of Southwest Airlines in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Southwest Airlines from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “sell” rating and issued a $28.00 target price on shares of Southwest Airlines in a report on Friday, November 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on Southwest Airlines from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “sell” rating and issued a $29.50 target price (down from $31.50) on shares of Southwest Airlines in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $31.72.

Southwest Airlines Trading Up 2.4 %

NYSE:LUV opened at $31.74 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $18.81 billion, a PE ratio of 44.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $31.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $31.21. Southwest Airlines has a 12-month low of $23.58 and a 12-month high of $36.12. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southwest Airlines

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Southwest Airlines in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 186.7% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 883 shares of the airline’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 575 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. boosted its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 196.3% during the 4th quarter. Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. now owns 889 shares of the airline’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 589 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 41.1% during the 3rd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,184 shares of the airline’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 345 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.82% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Southwest Airlines

In related news, Director C. David Cush purchased 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $30.03 per share, for a total transaction of $150,150.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 19,011 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $570,900.33. The trade was a 35.69 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be given a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 12th. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 100.00%.

About Southwest Airlines

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.