What If You Invested $1,000 in Southwest Airlines (LUV)?
Enter any amount and start date. We use historical prices to show your hypothetical return.
Historical extremes
What if you bought at the best or worst time? Check max profit, max drawdown, and total return since IPO.
Max profit
+46,110%
(462.0 times)
- Buy
- Apr 18, 1980
- $0.13
- Sell
- Jan 2, 2018
- $59.68
Buying LUV at the best price and selling at the peak would have turned $1,000 into $462,098.34.
Max drawdown
78.31%
(fell to 22% of peak)
- Peak
- Jan 5, 2001
- $19.73
- Trough
- Mar 5, 2009
- $4.28
A $1,000 investment in LUV at the peak would have shrunk to $216.93 at the trough.
Return since IPO
+23,515%
(236.1 times)
- IPO
- Jan 2, 1980
- $0.16
- Current
- Apr 29, 2026
- $37.22
A $1,000 investment in LUV at IPO would be worth $236,152.53 today.
Frequently asked questions
What is Southwest Airlines (LUV) stock's all-time high (ATH) and all-time low (ATL)?
- Southwest Airlines (LUV) stock's all-time low (ATL) was $0.13 on Apr 18, 1980. The all-time high (ATH) was $59.68 on Jan 2, 2018.
What if you invested $1,000 in Southwest Airlines (LUV) stock for maximum profit?
- Buying Southwest Airlines (LUV) stock at the best price ($0.13 on Apr 18, 1980) and selling at the peak ($59.68 on Jan 2, 2018) would have turned $1,000 into $462,098.34. Historical return: +46,109.83% (462.0 times).
What are Southwest Airlines (LUV)'s best buy and sell dates for maximum profit?
- The best buy date for Southwest Airlines (LUV) stock was Apr 18, 1980 at $0.13. The best sell date was Jan 2, 2018 at $59.68. This investment would have returned +46,109.83% (462.0 times).
What was Southwest Airlines (LUV) stock's maximum drawdown?
- Southwest Airlines (LUV) stock's worst decline was 78.31% (fell to 22% of peak) from peak to trough. Peak: $19.73 on Jan 5, 2001. Trough: $4.28 on Mar 5, 2009. A $1,000 investment at the peak would have been worth $216.93 at the trough.
What if you bought Southwest Airlines (LUV) stock at IPO?
- A $1,000 investment in Southwest Airlines (LUV) stock at IPO ($0.16 on Jan 2, 1980) would be worth $236,152.53 today. Historical return: +23,515.25% (236.1 times). Current stock price: $37.22 as of Apr 29, 2026.
What if you invested $1,000 in Southwest Airlines (LUV) 5 years ago?
- A $1,000 investment in Southwest Airlines (LUV) stock 5 years ago ($57.67 on Apr 29, 2021) would be worth $645.4 today. Historical return: 35.46% (0.65 times). Current stock price: $37.22 as of Apr 29, 2026.
What if you invested $1,000 in Southwest Airlines (LUV) 10 years ago?
- A $1,000 investment in Southwest Airlines (LUV) stock 10 years ago ($39.55 on Apr 29, 2016) would be worth $941.09 today. Historical return: 5.89% (0.94 times). Current stock price: $37.22 as of Apr 29, 2026.
What if you invested $1,000 in Southwest Airlines (LUV) 20 years ago?
- A $1,000 investment in Southwest Airlines (LUV) stock 20 years ago ($13.82 on Apr 28, 2006) would be worth $2,693.2 today. Historical return: +169.32% (2.69 times). Current stock price: $37.22 as of Apr 29, 2026.
Data & methodology
How does the investment calculator work?
- Enter an investment amount and a start date. We use historical stock prices to calculate how many shares you would have bought, then apply the current price to show your hypothetical portfolio value and return.
What are Historical extremes?
- Max profit: the best buy and sell dates that maximize percentage return. Max drawdown: the largest peak-to-trough decline in price. Return since IPO: total return from IPO date to the latest price.
What is Max drawdown?
- Maximum drawdown is the largest peak-to-trough decline in price. It shows the worst drop from any prior high to a subsequent low. Peak and Trough are the dates and prices at which this decline occurred.
Does this include dividends?
- The calculator uses adjusted closing prices when available, which account for stock splits and dividends. For the most accurate results, we recommend using data that includes dividend adjustments.
Where does the price data come from?
- Historical prices are dividend-adjusted closing prices from our data provider. The calculator and Historical extremes use the same data source for consistent results.
How are the dollar amounts in the cards calculated?
- The dollar amounts in Historical extremes use the investment amount you select in the calculator above (e.g. $1,000). They show what your investment would have been worth at the Buy/Peak/IPO date versus the Sell/Trough/Current date.
What date range can I use?
- The available date range depends on our historical price data for LUV. You can select any date between our first and most recent data point.
Explore more
LUV Overview
Company profile, financial tools, and key metrics
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LUV Stock Seasonality
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LUV Price Target Scenarios
Model bear, base, and bull cases with EPS growth and exit P/E — pre-filled from analysts and history.
LUV Daily Price Character
Balanced · 47.3% historical win rate (green days). Streaks & record days.
LUV Buybacks
16.30% TTM buyback yield. Shareholder yield & SBC comparison.
LUV Stock Split History
14 splits on record. Dates, ratios, and cumulative multiple.
LUV Dividend Profile
Yield: 1.93%. Safety: 4/8. See full history.
LUV Dividend Calculator
How much dividend income would $1,000 have earned? Calculate from any date.
LUV Dividend Forecast
Project future income with DRIP, growth assumptions, and optional monthly contributions.
LUV Financials
Revenue, EPS, EBITDA, market cap, debt and balance sheet history with annual and quarterly data.