What if you'd held LUV?
A $1,000 investment in Southwest Airlines Company (LUV) at the month-end close of 1980-01 would be worth $274,305 at the close of 2026-08 — +27330.5% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $67,519.
Your scenario
Result
If you'd bought $1,000 at the start of each year
Value of $1,000 invested on January 1 of each year, held to 2026-08, dividends included.
Every year, $1,000 from 1980
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | $1,000 | — |
| 1981 | $1,010 | +1.0% |
| 1982 | $1,876 | +85.7% |
| 1983 | $2,406 | +28.3% |
| 1984 | $1,959 | -18.6% |
| 1985 | $2,406 | +22.8% |
| 1986 | $1,855 | -22.9% |
| 1987 | $1,213 | -34.6% |
| 1988 | $1,848 | +52.3% |
| 1989 | $2,203 | +19.2% |
| 1990 | $2,424 | +10.0% |
| 1991 | $4,746 | +95.8% |
| 1992 | $8,226 | +73.3% |
| 1993 | $15,652 | +90.3% |
| 1994 | $7,025 | -55.1% |
| 1995 | $9,665 | +37.6% |
| 1996 | $9,259 | -4.2% |
| 1997 | $15,571 | +68.2% |
| 1998 | $21,551 | +38.4% |
| 1999 | $23,003 | +6.7% |
| 2000 | $47,883 | +108.2% |
| 2001 | $39,624 | -17.2% |
| 2002 | $29,840 | -24.7% |
| 2003 | $34,693 | +16.3% |
| 2004 | $35,041 | +1.0% |
| 2005 | $35,411 | +1.1% |
| 2006 | $33,058 | -6.6% |
| 2007 | $26,363 | -20.3% |
| 2008 | $18,657 | -29.2% |
| 2009 | $24,805 | +32.9% |
| 2010 | $28,213 | +13.7% |
| 2011 | $18,645 | -33.9% |
| 2012 | $22,391 | +20.1% |
| 2013 | $41,553 | +85.6% |
| 2014 | $94,038 | +126.3% |
| 2015 | $96,330 | +2.4% |
| 2016 | $112,510 | +16.8% |
| 2017 | $148,959 | +32.4% |
| 2018 | $106,934 | -28.2% |
| 2019 | $125,883 | +17.7% |
| 2020 | $109,114 | -13.3% |
| 2021 | $100,289 | -8.1% |
| 2022 | $78,822 | -21.4% |
| 2023 | $69,503 | -11.8% |
| 2024 | $82,787 | +19.1% |
| 2025 | $103,992 | +25.6% |
| 2026 | $105,127 | +1.1% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought LUV was 1980-04 ($0.14): $1,000 then is $304,559 today. The worst was 2017-12 ($58.69): $1,000 then is $706.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in LUV be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in Southwest Airlines Company (LUV) at the start of 1980 would be worth about $274,305 today, a total return of +27330.5%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for LUV?
Southwest Airlines Company (LUV)'s strongest calendar year since 1980 was 2014, a +126.3% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $2,263 by year-end. Its weakest year was 1994, at -55.1%.
Does the calculator include dividends and splits?
Yes where available. Prices are adjusted for both stock splits and reinvested dividends (total return), the same measure brokerages use.
How much would $100 per month in LUV have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 1980-01 would have grown to about $1.15M on $56,000 invested.
Did LUV beat the S&P 500?
Over the same period, $1,000 in the S&P 500 index would be worth $67,519. LUV beat the S&P 500 by +306.3% in total return.
Is this investment advice?
No. Wall Street Regrets is an entertainment and education tool. Every number is a historical calculation, not a prediction, and past performance never guarantees future results.
Methodology
Southwest Airlines Company (LUV) historical total-return data from 1980-01 to 2026-08, reduced to month-end closes for the tables above.
Returns use adjusted close prices from Yahoo Finance historical data — adjusted for stock splits and reinvested dividends — the same convention used by major brokerages. A "year" scenario invests $1,000 at the prior December's month-end close and values it at the latest available month-end close. Non-USD amounts are converted at historical month-end exchange rates (Yahoo Finance): to USD on the buy date and back to your currency at the latest rate, so the return reflects the currency move as well as the asset.
Month-end resolution means intra-month extremes are not captured in tables; the calculator uses exact trading-day closes where daily data is available. Figures ignore taxes, fees, and the currency effects of non-USD listings. History is not a forecast. Wall Street Regrets is entertainment, not investment advice.
What if you'd held…
Data: adjusted close prices via Yahoo Finance. As of 2026-08. Not financial advice.