Southwest Airlines' (LUV) Underweight Rating Reiterated at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "underweight" rating reiterated by stock analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They currently have a $25.00 price objective on the airline's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s target price would indicate a potential downside of 16.49% from the company's previous close.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on LUV. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $38.00 to $34.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Raymond James raised their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, December 30th. Bank of America restated an "underperform" rating and issued a $31.00 target price (down from $33.00) on shares of Southwest Airlines in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $42.00 price target on shares of Southwest Airlines in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a "sell" rating and set a $29.50 target price (down previously from $31.50) on shares of Southwest Airlines in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Southwest Airlines has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $31.72.

Southwest Airlines Stock Up 1.7 %

LUV stock traded up $0.49 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $29.94. 10,284,390 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,755,850. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $31.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $31.10. The company has a market cap of $17.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.10. Southwest Airlines has a 1-year low of $23.58 and a 1-year high of $36.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.92.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV - Get Free Report) last announced 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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Southwest Airlines will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Linda B. Rutherford sold 3,849 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.40, for a total transaction of $132,405.60. Following the sale, the insider now owns 89,376 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,074,534.40. This trade represents a 4.13 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Southwest Airlines

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Studio Investment Management LLC increased its position in Southwest Airlines by 5.2% during the third quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 6,978 shares of the airline's stock valued at $207,000 after acquiring an additional 343 shares during the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its stake in Southwest Airlines by 41.1% during the third quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,184 shares of the airline's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 345 shares in the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,116 shares of the airline's stock valued at $340,000 after purchasing an additional 369 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 9,822 shares of the airline's stock worth $330,000 after buying an additional 369 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wahed Invest LLC lifted its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 11.5% in the 3rd quarter. Wahed Invest LLC now owns 3,638 shares of the airline's stock valued at $108,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.82% of the company's stock.

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.