What is Zacks Research’s Forecast for LUV Q2 Earnings?

Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) – Analysts at Zacks Research raised their Q2 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Southwest Airlines in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, November 7th. Zacks Research analyst S. Goswami now forecasts that the airline will post earnings per share of $0.88 for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $0.73. The consensus estimate for Southwest Airlines’ current full-year earnings is $0.75 per share.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The airline reported $0.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.05 by $0.10. Southwest Airlines had a negative net margin of 0.06% and a positive return on equity of 4.56%. The company had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.77 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.38 earnings per share. Southwest Airlines’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on LUV. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $26.00 to $24.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $29.00 target price (down previously from $32.00) on shares of Southwest Airlines in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Barclays boosted their target price on Southwest Airlines from $27.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Southwest Airlines in a research report on Monday, November 4th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $33.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $20.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $30.96.

Southwest Airlines Stock Down 1.9 %

NYSE LUV opened at $32.03 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.83. Southwest Airlines has a 52 week low of $22.58 and a 52 week high of $35.18. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $30.07 and a 200-day moving average of $28.30.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southwest Airlines

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. CVA Family Office LLC boosted its position in Southwest Airlines by 179.5% during the second quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 1,034 shares of the airline’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 664 shares during the period. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines in the second quarter valued at $33,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, AM Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 2nd quarter worth about $37,000. 80.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Southwest Airlines news, major shareholder Elliott Investment Management sold 1,203,920 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.83, for a total transaction of $35,912,933.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 59,912,580 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,787,192,261.40. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, Director Rakesh Gangwal purchased 643,788 shares of Southwest Airlines stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $29.98 per share, with a total value of $19,300,764.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,606,311 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $108,117,203.78. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Elliott Investment Management sold 1,203,920 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.83, for a total value of $35,912,933.60. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 59,912,580 shares in the company, valued at $1,787,192,261.40. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.