Southwest (LUV) Surges 5.4%: Is This an Indication of Further Gains?
Southwest Airlines (LUV) shares rallied 5.4% in the last trading session to close at $29.93. This move can be attributable to notable volume with a higher number of shares being traded than in a typical session. This compares to the stock's 1% loss over the past four weeks.
The stock is benefitting from its upbeat views (announced on Sep. 26, 2024) on third-quarter 2024 unit revenues and fuel costs. LUV now expects its revenue per available seat miles (RASM: a key measure of unit revenue) to increase in the 2-3% band in third-quarter 2024 (detailed results will be out on Oct. 24) from third-quarter 2023 actuals. The earlier expectation was flat to down 2% year over year. LUV reduced its third-quarter 2024 fuel cost per gallon guidance to the $2.50-$2.60 range compared with the $2.60-$2.70 range expected previously. LUV also laid out an impressive roadmap for its growth and announced a new share buyback. plan.
This airline is expected to post quarterly loss of $0.22 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of -157.9%. Revenues are expected to be $6.6 billion, up 1.1% from the year-ago quarter.
While earnings and revenue growth expectations are important in evaluating the potential strength in a stock, empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements.
For Southwest, the consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 8.4% higher over the last 30 days to the current level. And a positive trend in earnings estimate revision usually translates into price appreciation. So, make sure to keep an eye on LUV going forward to see if this recent jump can turn into more strength down the road.
The stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>>
Southwest belongs to the Zacks Transportation - Airline industry. Another stock from the same industry, Ryanair (RYAAY), closed the last trading session 1.4% higher at $117.70. Over the past month, RYAAY has returned 6.6%.
Ryanair's consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming report has changed +6.7% over the past month to $7.24. Compared to the company's year-ago EPS, this represents a change of +0.4%. Ryanair currently boasts a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
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Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) : Free Stock Analysis Report
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