Within the last quarter, Southwest Airlines LUV has observed the following analyst ratings:

In the last 3 months, 7 analysts have offered 12-month price targets for Southwest Airlines. The company has an average price target of $72.57 with a high of $85.00 and a low of $64.00.

This current average represents a 22.48% increase from the previous average price target of $59.25.

What Are Analyst Ratings?

Analysts are specialists within banking and financial systems that typically report for specific stocks or within defined sectors. These people research company financial statements, sit in conference calls and meetings, and speak with relevant insiders to determine what are known as analyst ratings for stocks. Typically, analysts will rate each stock once a quarter.

Analysts also give out recommendations like "buy", "sell", "hold", or similar verbage for each stock based on their overall evaluations of the corres ponding company. A "buy" indicates that an analyst is optimistic about a stock's short-term or mid-term growth, recommending traders to purchase the stock. Contrastingly, a "sell" means that an analyst believes the stock will trend downwards in that same time frame. A "hold" suggests that investors should not buy more of or sell any of the specified stock due to that analyst's prediction of stagnation.

Some analysts publish their predictions for metrics such as growth estimates, earnings, and revenue to provide additional guidance with their ratings. When using analyst ratings, it is important to keep in mind that stock and sector analysts are also human and are only offering their opinions to investors.