Southwest Airlines (LUV) Expected to Announce Earnings on Thursday

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV - Get Free Report) is projected to announce its earnings results before the market opens on Thursday, April 24th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of ($0.17) per share and revenue of $6.47 billion for the quarter. Individual that wish to listen to the company's earnings conference call can do so using this link.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The airline reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.11. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 1.69% and a return on equity of 5.77%. 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

Southwest Airlines stock traded down $0.15 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $24.71. 11,518,405 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 9,927,459. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.85. Southwest Airlines has a 12 month low of $23.58 and a 12 month high of $36.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.94. The business has a 50 day moving average of $29.89 and a two-hundred day moving average of $31.28.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were paid a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.91%. Southwest Airlines's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 100.00%.

Insider Transactions at Southwest Airlines

In related news, Director C. David Cush acquired 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $30.03 per share, with a total value of $150,150.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 19,011 shares of the company's stock, valued at $570,900.33. This trade represents a 35.69 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.79% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Melius Research raised Southwest Airlines from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $28.00 to $34.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Southwest Airlines from a "hold" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $28.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Raymond James boosted their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Bank of America reiterated an "underperform" rating and issued a $31.00 price target (down from $33.00) on shares of Southwest Airlines in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Melius raised Southwest Airlines from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $30.88.

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.