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LULUV

Southwest Airlines Co.

$LUV·$22B·Airlines, Airports & Air Services·Industrials
$44.97-1.4%YTD+9.9%1Y+45.4%
Mentions · last 7 days
2026-07-26: 26 posts2026-07-27: 25 posts2026-07-28: 27 posts2026-07-29: 33 posts2026-07-30: 43 posts2026-07-31: 37 posts2026-08-01: 30 posts222+27%
Price updated 3d ago·X counts updated 2d ago
LULUV
$LUVSouthwest Airlines Co.
$44.97-1.38%222 posts+27%
AI analysisFundamentalsVoices on X
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AI verdict & sentimentAI analysisGenerated by AI from underlying data

Top X posts

Today's AI verdict on what's driving $LUV, plus how loud the X conversation is and which way it's leaning.

AI analysis

TickerTalks’ read on the fundamentals and what’s driving the move.

Proven numbersCooling offAI verdict · as of 2026-08-01

Catching its breath after a run — could pick back up or fade from here.

Southwest just crushed Q2 EPS by 84% — a genuine operational turnaround printing, but revenue slightly missed.

Southwest Airlines is the largest US point-to-point domestic carrier and the standout operational-turnaround story in aviation. The July 22 Q2 print delivered EPS $0.94 vs $0.51 consensus — an 84% beat that confirms the cost-restructuring and capacity-discipline strategy is finally hitting the P&L; the revenue miss ($8.43B vs $8.58B) is why the tape hasn't fully re-rated.

Where the setup sits:

  • The Q2 EPS beat is structurally large: 84% beat is a rare margin surprise for a legacy airline — driven by operational cost-out plus fuel tailwinds, and the direction reads durable rather than one-time.
  • But revenue itself missed: $8.43B vs $8.58B consensus (-1.7%) is a modest shortfall, and the tape needed both revenue and EPS to fully re-rate the multiple.
  • Free cash flow is still negative: FCF yield of -1.7% at the current market cap says the operational turnaround is landing in earnings but not yet in cash generation — that's the next milestone for holders to require.
  • The dividend continuity signals discipline: the 190th quarterly dividend keeps LUV as one of the few airlines with a maintained payout — 25% below the 52-week high but well above the summer 2024 lows.

The October 21 Q3 print is the next check: continued cost-out delivery plus firm capacity-growth commentary is what breaks the cooling; another revenue miss or a fuel-price spike and the LUV-turnaround narrative loses altitude even as the operational story stays intact.

Agrees with X sentimentX is genuinely mixed — the 'headline miss but underlying is fine' framing captures the split (EPS +84% beat on $8.43B revenue miss), and the 2013 base-breakout-then-+200% comparison is a fair long-term technical read; both camps are grading real datapoints.

What to watch: The October 21 Q3 print — continued cost-out delivery plus firm capacity-growth commentary breaks the cooling; another revenue miss or fuel-price spike and the LUV-turnaround narrative loses altitude.

On the calendar: 2026-10-21 — Q3 earnings

X sentiment

What the X crowd is saying right now — descriptive, summarised from the day’s posts.

Mixed sentiment⚠7 posts analyzed · as of 2026-07-29 · top-engagement diverged

Southwest Airlines delivered Q2 revenue $8.43B versus $8.58B estimate but adjusted EPS $0.94 (vs $0.52 estimate) — a major EPS beat. Bulls note strong travel demand and reference LUV's 2013 base breakout that led to +200% within two years. Positioning is a live 'headline miss but underlying is fine' vs cautionary debate.

Read the AI verdict + X sentiment for $LUV

  • One-line verdict on what's driving the move — fundamentals, momentum, both, or an event
  • Next dated catalyst when there is one (earnings, deal closing, activist clock)
  • X crowd read with bullish/bearish call + post volume
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What it does

Plain-English summary of the business — what they sell and how they make money.

Low-cost US airline operating 728 Boeing 737s across 121 destinations with a no-bag-fee point-to-point model.

Industry overviewAI analysisGenerated by AI from underlying data

Where Airlines, Airports & Air Services sits in its cycle right now — and what that implies for $LUV.

Airlines, Airports & Air Services · Industrials

No material change from last week — two different time horizons.

What this means for $LUV

Neutral — Low-cost US airline operating 728 Boeing 737s across 121 destinations with a no-bag-fee point-to-point model; limited read-through from airlines, airports & air services macro dynamics to this specific revenue mix.

Industry benchmark

11-name peer basket
+20.6%YTD
-8.3%1Y

Fundamentals & catalyst

Profitability, valuation, and the next earnings event — at a glance, with rule-of-thumb signals.

Key ratios

P/E
29.2How much investors are paying per dollar of profit the company actually earned in the last 12 months. Lower means the stock looks cheaper relative to earnings.~15–25 is typical for the S&P 500; high-growth names trade 30+; hyper-growth or speculative can be 100+ or negative.
ROIC
4.3%What percentage return the business earns on every dollar of capital (equity + debt) deployed in operations. The cleanest measure of business quality.Above ~15% is high-quality; consistently above 25% suggests a real moat. Below the company's cost of capital is value-destroying.
Op margin
3.4%Operating profit (after sales, marketing, R&D, and overhead but before interest and taxes) as a percentage of revenue. The clearest view of how well the underlying business is run.Mature business above 20% is healthy; software businesses can run 30%+; commodity / retail businesses operate in single digits.
FCF yield
-1.7%Free cash flow (operating cash flow minus capex) divided by the company's market cap. The cash-on-cash return you'd get owning the whole business at today's price.Above ~5% is attractive; below ~2% means you're paying up for growth. Capital-light businesses (software) run higher than capital-heavy ones (utilities).
P/S
0.8Same idea as P/E but per dollar of revenue. Useful for companies that aren't profitable yet, where P/E is meaningless.Under ~2 is cheap; software / SaaS often runs 8–15; well above 20 implies the market is pricing in very high future growth.
ROE
10.7%Net income as a percentage of shareholders' equity. Similar to ROIC but counts only the equity side.Above 20% is strong, but can be inflated by leverage — a heavily indebted company can show high ROE with weak underlying ROIC.
Gross margin
16.5%Revenue minus the direct cost of producing what was sold, as a percentage of revenue. The first read on whether the product is structurally profitable.Software / SaaS is typically 70%+; consumer goods 30–50%; commodity / hardware businesses can be under 20%.
D/E
0.9Total debt divided by shareholders' equity. Measures how much the business runs on borrowed money versus owner capital.Under 1 is conservative; 1–2 is typical for mature businesses; over 2 is leveraged and more sensitive to interest rates.

Past earnings

QuarterReportedActualEstimateSurprise
Q2 2026Jul 22, 2026$0.94$0.51+84.3%
Q1 2026Apr 22, 2026$0.45$0.47-4.9%
Q4 2025Jan 28, 2026$0.58$0.57+2.1%
Q3 2025Oct 22, 2025$0.11$-0.04+398.7%
Next earningsWed, Oct 21·consensus EPS $0.67

Quarterly trend

QuarterRevenueYoYGrossOpEPSFCF
Q1 FY26$7.2B+12.8%10.0%4.6%$0.45$788.0M
Q4 FY25$7.4B+7.4%20.3%5.3%$0.63$-564.0M
Q3 FY25$6.9B+1.1%16.7%0.5%$0.10$-391.0M
Q2 FY25$7.2B-1.5%18.7%3.1%$0.40$-234.0M

Forward consensus

5-year forecast · up to 16 analysts
FYRevenueRangeEPSRangeAnalysts
FY26$32.9B$32.5B – $33.6B$3.34$2.84 – $4.1316
FY27$34.0B$32.4B – $35.1B$4.82$4.10 – $6.8016
FY28$35.4B$34.1B – $37.3B$5.29$4.35 – $6.3316
FY29$36.5B$35.4B – $37.7B$5.42$5.21 – $5.6515
FY30$40.0B$38.8B – $41.3B$7.32$7.04 – $7.6315

Setup & momentum

Volume, range, and moving-average position — the technical setup driving short-term moves.

Right now

Vol vs 30dToday's traded share volume divided by the average over the prior 30 trading days. ≥3× signals unusual interest; below 1× is quiet.0.6×Today's traded share volume divided by the average over the prior 30 trading days. ≥3× signals unusual interest; below 1× is quiet.
52w rangeWhere the latest close sits between the 52-week low (0%) and high (100%). Above 80% is extended; below 30% is basing or in a downtrend.61%Where the latest close sits between the 52-week low (0%) and high (100%). Above 80% is extended; below 30% is basing or in a downtrend.
vs 50d MALatest close vs the 50-day simple moving average. Positive = short-term trend is up.-2.8%Latest close vs the 50-day simple moving average. Positive = short-term trend is up.
vs 200d MALatest close vs the 200-day simple moving average. Positive = long-term trend is up.+7.6%Latest close vs the 200-day simple moving average. Positive = long-term trend is up.

Float & profile

FloatHigh float · 484.0M shFree-float shares — the slice of issued stock actually available to trade. Lower buckets squeeze harder on a catalyst.Traded today0.8% of floatToday's volume as a percent of the free float. Above 5% on a single day is unusually high turnover for the available share count.β1.125-year weekly beta vs the S&P 500. Above 1.5 means the stock typically moves more than the index; below 0.8 moves less.

Insider activity

Recent open-market buys and sells by officers and directors — flagged when multiple insiders cluster.

Recent transactions

SellApr 7Lisa M AthertonDirector118 sh$4K
+ 24 other (16 awards · 8 inkinds) in window

See when $LUV insiders are putting their own money in

  • Real-time open-market buys and sells from Form 4 filings
  • Cluster-buy detection when multiple insiders pile in at once
  • 30 / 60 / 180-day windows so you can spot building conviction
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SEC filings

Material 8-K, 13D, S-3, and 424B5 events from the last 180 days — the filings that actually move the price.

Recent material filings

8-KMaterial agreementMay 198-K — Item 1.01: Material agreement · Item 2.03: Material debt obligation
AI summary

Southwest Airlines (LUV) executed an Increase Joinder Agreement No. 1 to its Term Loan Credit Agreement, increasing the facility above its original $500 million March 11, 2026 size. BNP Paribas serves as administrative and collateral agent. The specific increased amount and terms were not detailed in the filing excerpt. This represents additional secured borrowing by the airline.

8-KShareholder voteMay 118-K — Item 5.07: Shareholder vote
AI summary

Southwest Airlines (LUV) held its 2026 Annual Meeting on May 7, 2026. All 11 director nominees were elected, and standard other proposals were voted on. Individual vote tallies were provided. This is a routine annual meeting disclosure with no extraordinary business.

SC 13D/AActivist amendmentApr 3SC 13D/A
8-KMaterial agreementMar 128-K — Item 1.01: Material agreement · Item 2.03: Material debt obligation
SC 13D/AActivist amendmentFeb 23SC 13D/A
8-KOfficer or director changeFeb 108-K — Item 5.02: Officer or director change
+ 15 other (4 13Gs · 3 proxys · 2 10-Qs · 2 earnings 8-Ks) in window

Recent news

Latest headlines from major outlets, sourced and timestamped — context for whatever just moved.

Airlines are still willing to bet on Boeing, and the biggest aviation show of the year proves itbusinessinsider.com·3d agoSOUTHWEST AIRLINES DECLARES 190th QUARTERLY DIVIDENDprnewswire.com·4d agoIs Southwest Airlines Stock Attractive After Its Earnings Rebound?zacks.com·5d agoShould Value Investors Buy Southwest Airlines (LUV) Stock?zacks.com·5d agoSouthwest (LUV) is an Incredible Growth Stock: 3 Reasons Whyzacks.com·6d ago

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TickerTalks is a research tool, not financial advice. We surface social-attention data; we do not make stock recommendations. Past attention is not predictive of future price movements.

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