Research Analysts’ Weekly Ratings Changes for Southwest Airlines (LUV)

Several brokerages have updated their recommendations and price targets on shares of Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) in the last few weeks:

• 3/23/2026 – Southwest Airlines had its price target lowered by UBS Group AG from $59.00 to $56.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 3/20/2026 – Southwest Airlines had its price target lowered by Citigroup Inc. from $54.00 to $44.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 3/16/2026 – Southwest Airlines had its price target lowered by UBS Group AG to $59.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 3/16/2026 – Southwest Airlines had its price target lowered by Wells Fargo & Company from $50.00 to $44.00. They now have an “equal weight” rating on the stock.
• 3/14/2026 – Southwest Airlines was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from “buy” to “hold”.
• 3/12/2026 – Southwest Airlines had its price target lowered by Jefferies Financial Group Inc. from $48.00 to $41.00. They now have a “hold” rating on the stock.
• 3/11/2026 – Southwest Airlines was downgraded by Zacks Research from “strong-buy” to “hold”.
• 3/9/2026 – Southwest Airlines had its price target lowered by TD Cowen from $66.00 to $55.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 3/5/2026 – Southwest Airlines had its price target raised by Rothschild & Co Redburn from $27.00 to $35.00. They now have a “sell” rating on the stock.
• 2/27/2026 – Southwest Airlines was upgraded by TD Cowen from “hold” to “buy”. They now have a $66.00 price target on the stock, up from $50.00.
• 2/17/2026 – Southwest Airlines was upgraded by UBS Group AG from “neutral” to “buy”. They now have a $73.00 price target on the stock, up from $51.00.
• 2/7/2026 – Southwest Airlines was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from “hold” to “buy”.
• 2/3/2026 – Southwest Airlines had its price target raised by Citigroup Inc. from $44.00 to $54.00.
• 2/3/2026 – Southwest Airlines had its price target raised by Susquehanna from $45.00 to $55.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 2/2/2026 – Southwest Airlines had its price target raised by Jefferies Financial Group Inc. from $45.00 to $48.00. They now have a “hold” rating on the stock.
• 2/2/2026 – Southwest Airlines had its price target raised by UBS Group AG from $45.00 to $51.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 1/30/2026 – Southwest Airlines was upgraded by Zacks Research from “hold” to “strong-buy”.
• 1/30/2026 – Southwest Airlines had its price target raised by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. from $29.00 to $32.00. They now have a “sell” rating on the stock.
• 1/30/2026 – Southwest Airlines had its price target raised by Wells Fargo & Company from $45.00 to $50.00. They now have an “equal weight” rating on the stock.
• 1/30/2026 – Southwest Airlines had its price target raised by Bank of America Corporation from $37.00 to $42.00. They now have an “underperform” rating on the stock.
• 1/30/2026 – Southwest Airlines had its price target raised by Morgan Stanley from $50.00 to $55.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 1/30/2026 – Southwest Airlines had its price target raised by TD Cowen from $42.00 to $50.00. They now have a “hold” rating on the stock.
• 1/30/2026 – Southwest Airlines was upgraded by BMO Capital Markets from “market perform” to “outperform”. They now have a $57.50 price target on the stock, up from $43.00.
• 1/29/2026 – Southwest Airlines had its price target raised by Seaport Research Partners from $57.00 to $58.00.
• 1/29/2026 – Southwest Airlines had its price target raised by Evercore Inc from $40.00 to $45.00. They now have an “in-line” rating on the stock.
• 1/26/2026 – Southwest Airlines had its price target raised by Jefferies Financial Group Inc. from $42.00 to $45.00. They now have a “hold” rating on the stock.

Southwest Airlines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 12th will be given a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. Southwest Airlines’s payout ratio is currently 85.71%.

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.