What Are the Fundamentals of Southwest Airlines Company (LUV)?

By Emilio Sanchez • Friday, December 29 15:43 • Permanent Link

We're taking a closer look at Southwest Airlines Company today, as the chatter surrounding the stock has increased notably in the last few weeks. Today, its shares moved -1.5% compared to -0.0% for the S&P 500. Increased investor interest and volatility surrounding the stock are not reason enough to buy in -- you should first perform your own due diligence. Here are some figures that can get you started:

Southwest Airlines Co. operates as a passenger airline company that provide scheduled air transportation services in the United States and near-international markets.
Southwest Airlines Company has moved -12.7% over the last year compared to 24.6% for the S&P 500 -- a difference of -37.3%
LUV has an average analyst rating of hold and is 5.18% away from its mean target price of $27.5 per share
Its trailing 12 month earnings per share (EPS) is $0.81
Southwest Airlines Company has a trailing 12 month Price to Earnings (P/E) ratio of 35.7 while the S&P 500 average is 15.97
Its forward earnings per share (EPS) is $1.57 and its forward P/E ratio is 18.4
LUV has a Price to Earnings Growth (PEG) ratio of 0.72, which shows the company is very undervalued compared to its earnings growth estimates.
The company has a Price to Book (P/B) ratio of 1.56 in contrast to the S&P 500's average ratio of 2.95
Southwest Airlines Company is part of the Consumer Discretionary sector, which has an average P/E ratio of 22.96 and an average P/B of 4.24
Southwest Airlines Company has on average reported free cash flows of $853.5 Million over the last four years, during which time they have grown by an an average of -34.1%

The above analysis is intended for educational purposes only and was performed on the basis of publicly available data. It is not to be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Any buy, sell, or other recommendations mentioned in the article are direct quotations of consensus recommendations from the analysts covering the stock, and do not represent the opinions of Market Inference or its writers. Past performance, accounting data, and inferences about market position and corporate valuation are not reliable indicators of future price movements. Market Inference does not provide financial advice. Investors should conduct their own review and analysis of any company of interest before making an investment decision.