NYSE: LUV · Airlines, Airports & Air Services
Southwest Airlines (LUV) fair value: undervalued or overvalued?
As of 26 Sep 2026, Faircurve's model values Southwest Airlines (LUV) at $46.19 a share. The stock last closed at $42.47, which puts the model's fair value 8.8% above the price. On the model's bands that reads as Fairly valued.
Revalued . Price is the close of 2 Oct 2026. Southwest Airlines Co.
Faircurve Insights · 26 Sep 2026
Southwest Airlines Co. functions as a passenger airline, offering scheduled air travel services predominantly across the United States and to select neighboring international markets.
Faircurve's model on 26 Sep 2026 found a fair value of $46.19 a share, the midpoint of 2,000 simulations. The previous run on 19 Sep 2026 gave $45.53, so the fair value moved +1.4%. The model's calibrated range over 63 trading days was $37.35 to $53.15, built around the price from the volatility the stock's own options imply; ranges built this way held the price 60% of the time at this horizon. The evidence grade was High.
The overall quality score was 47 out of 100, a score against comparable companies. The model compares the company with Delta Air Lines, Inc. and SkyWest, Inc. Moves around the last eight earnings reports, measured from the close before each report to the close after it, ranged from -10.5% to +17.3%, with a median size of 8.0%, ignoring direction.
Written from the figures on this page for the 26 Sep 2026 valuation and checked by rule before publishing: every number is one printed here, no forecast, no instruction. The price, the gap and the verdict are the page's own and change daily. Not a recommendation.
What price range does the model give LUV?
The calibrated range for LUV over 63 trading days is $37.35 to $53.15. It sits around the last close, and its width comes from the volatility that LUV's own options imply (50% a year), calibrated weekly against realised prices (n = 3,330 past valuations, refreshed 26 Sep 2026). Ranges built this way held the price 60% of the time at this horizon. The fair value is the model's opinion and rides beside the range. It is not the centre of it.
The model's own simulated range, from the 20th to the 80th percentile of its runs, is $37.27 to $56.23. In 62% of the simulations the fair value came out above the price the model ran on.
How does LUV score on business quality?
Southwest Airlines's overall quality score is 47 out of 100. Each factor below is a score against comparable companies, not a percentile of the metric beside it.
| Factor | Score (0 to 100) | Headline measure | Peer median |
|---|---|---|---|
| ProfitabilityReturn on invested capital against the peer group, with a bonus for an improving trend. | 33 | 7.7%ROIC | 9.1% |
| Earnings qualityHow much of reported profit is cash: free cash flow to net income, and the accrual ratio (the share of earnings that is not cash). | 24 | -0.74xFCF / net income | 0.77x |
| Growth qualityTrailing revenue growth, forward growth from consensus, and the direction of analyst estimate revisions. | 57 | 2.1%Revenue growth, trailing | 3.7% |
| Capital disciplineReinvestment efficiency (capital spending per unit of revenue) and net buybacks. | 72 | 7.4%Net buybacks / market value | 0.9% |
| Balance sheetNet debt to EBITDA and interest coverage. | 85 | 1.29xNet debt / EBITDA | 3.33x |
| StabilityDownside volatility of the EBITDA margin over the last five years. | 56 | 1.9 ptsEBITDA margin downside volatility, 5y | 2.5 pts |
How does LUV compare with similar companies?
The companies in airlines, airports & air services closest to Southwest Airlines in market value, each on the same model and the same date.
| Company | Last close | Model fair value | Gap | Model verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UAL United Airlines Holdings, Inc. | $112.51 | $141.92 | +26.1% | Low evidence grade |
| AAL American Airlines Group Inc. | $12.94 | $7.69 | -40.6% | Low evidence grade |
| DAL Delta Air Lines, Inc. | $84.09 | $122.92 | +46.2% | Undervalued |
| ALK Alaska Air Group, Inc. | $39.53 | $44.88 | +13.5% | Low evidence grade |
| SKYW SkyWest, Inc. | $96.43 | $130.35 | +35.2% | Undervalued |
| ALGT Allegiant Travel Company | $77.61 | $99.32 | +28.0% | Low evidence grade |
| JBLU JetBlue Airways Corporation | $4.15 | $1.25 | -69.9% | Gap wider than 60% |
All airlines, airports & air services stocks ranked by gap to fair value
When does LUV report earnings, and how has the stock reacted?
Southwest Airlines's next earnings report is scheduled for 21 Oct 2026. Companies can move their dates.
Options prices on 2 Oct 2026 imply a move of about 7.0% in either direction through the nearest expiry, about 13 days out. That is the size the market is pricing, not a direction. LUV's 30 day implied volatility works out to about 14.4% over one month.
How LUV moved around its last 8 earnings reports
Each move runs from the last close before the report to the first close after it, so it covers companies that report before the open and after the close. The median size across these 8 reports, ignoring direction, was 8.0%.
| Report date | Two session move |
|---|---|
| 22 Jul 2026 | -8.2% |
| 22 Apr 2026 | -7.7% |
| 28 Jan 2026 | +17.3% |
| 22 Oct 2025 | -8.7% |
| 23 Jul 2025 | -10.5% |
| 23 Apr 2025 | +6.9% |
| 30 Jan 2025 | -3.0% |
| 24 Oct 2024 | -4.2% |
Southwest Airlines at a glance
Southwest Airlines Co. functions as a passenger airline, offering scheduled air travel services predominantly across the United States and to select neighboring international markets.
- Market value
- $20.9B
- Sector
- Industrials
- Industry
- Airlines, Airports & Air Services
- Revenue expected, next twelve months
- $34.0B
- Consensus revenue growth, next fiscal year
- +17.7%
- Analysts with estimates
- 14
- Beta to the US market
- 1.27
- First valued by Faircurve
- 1 May 2026
How the fair value is worked out: the model prices Southwest Airlines on the value of the whole business, debt included, against the operating profit analysts expect next year (forward EV/EBITDA), runs 2,000 simulations across its inputs and takes the midpoint. The full method is documented here.
What changed in the latest valuation?
On 19 Sep 2026 the model's fair value for LUV was $45.53. As of 26 Sep 2026 it is $46.19, a change of +1.4%. The model revalues every stock it covers each week, and again after an earnings report.
Questions about Southwest Airlines's valuation
Is Southwest Airlines stock undervalued or overvalued?
On Faircurve's model, LUV reads as Fairly valued as of 26 Sep 2026. The model's fair value is $46.19 a share against a last close of $42.47, a gap of +8.8%.
What is LUV's fair value?
$46.19 a share as of 26 Sep 2026, the midpoint of 2,000 simulations. The model's own 20th to 80th percentile range is $37.27 to $56.23.
What price range does the model give LUV?
$37.35 to $53.15 over 63 trading days. Ranges built this way held the price 60% of the time across 3,330 past valuations, refreshed 26 Sep 2026.
When does Southwest Airlines report earnings next?
The next report is scheduled for 21 Oct 2026. Companies can move their dates.
How much has LUV moved on past earnings reports?
Across its last 8 reports the median two session move was 8.0%, ignoring direction. The largest was +17.3% around the report of 28 Jan 2026.
How confident is the model in this valuation?
The model's evidence grade for LUV is high. The grade looks at how complete the inputs are, how many comparable companies there are and how closely they agree, and how wide the range of outcomes is. It is not a probability that the fair value is right, or that the price reaches it.