United Airlines [UAL] vs Alaska Air [ALK] Detailed Stock Comparison

TLDR: Quick Comparison Summary

Based on 20 vital metrics comparison: United Airlines Holdings Inc. wins in 13 metrics, Alaska Air Group Inc. wins in 5 metrics, with 0 ties. United Airlines Holdings Inc. appears stronger overall.

View Metrics Details

Vital Metrics Comparison

Metric United Airlines Holdings Inc. Alaska Air Group Inc. Better
P/E Ratio (TTM) 9.52 85.77 United Airlines Holdings Inc.
Price-to-Book Ratio 2.06 1.25 Alaska Air Group Inc.
Debt-to-Equity Ratio 203.09 178.72 Alaska Air Group Inc.
PEG Ratio 1.28 3.41 United Airlines Holdings Inc.
EV/EBITDA 6.48 8.30 United Airlines Holdings Inc.
Profit Margin (TTM) 5.68% 0.51% United Airlines Holdings Inc.
Operating Margin (TTM) 9.14% -7.39% United Airlines Holdings Inc.
EBITDA Margin (TTM) 9.14% N/A N/A
Return on Equity 23.99% 1.86% United Airlines Holdings Inc.
Return on Assets (TTM) 4.23% 1.30% United Airlines Holdings Inc.
Free Cash Flow (TTM) $2.56B $-339.00M United Airlines Holdings Inc.
1-Year Return 56.11% -0.29% United Airlines Holdings Inc.
Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM) 0.53 0.33 Alaska Air Group Inc.
Enterprise Value $50.21B $9.48B United Airlines Holdings Inc.
EV/Revenue Ratio 0.85 0.66 Alaska Air Group Inc.
Gross Profit Margin (TTM) 29.27% N/A N/A
Revenue per Share (TTM) $182 $124 United Airlines Holdings Inc.
Earnings per Share (Diluted) $10.20 $0.49 United Airlines Holdings Inc.
Beta (Stock Volatility) 1.29 1.28 Alaska Air Group Inc.
Short % of Float 4.74% 15.25% United Airlines Holdings Inc.

United Airlines Holdings Inc. vs Alaska Air Group Inc. Stock Performance Analysis

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Performance Comparison

Short-term Returns

Stock1D1W1M3M6MYTD
United Airlines Holdings Inc.3.85%13.91%29.21%32.89%11.39%6.16%
Alaska Air Group Inc.3.72%16.19%32.86%27.68%-5.42%-4.74%

Long-term Returns

Stock1Y3Y5Y10Y15Y20Y
United Airlines Holdings Inc.56.11%115.93%110.34%171.05%380.53%266.96%
Alaska Air Group Inc.-0.29%-6.15%-25.26%-20.98%189.60%398.11%

Performance & Financial Health Analysis: United Airlines Holdings Inc. vs Alaska Air Group Inc.

MetricUALALK
Market Information
Market Cap i$31.53B$4.71B
Market Cap CategoryLarge capMid cap
10 Day Avg. Volume i8,672,8434,977,662
90 Day Avg. Volume i8,538,1585,076,054
Last Close$119.97$49.08
52 Week Range$71.55 - $124.79$33.03 - $65.88
% from 52W High-3.86%-25.50%
All-Time High$124.79 (Jun 15, 2026)$101.43 (Feb 27, 2017)
% from All-Time High-3.86%-51.61%
Growth Metrics
Quarterly Revenue Growth0.05%0.05%
Quarterly Earnings Growth0.06%N/A
Financial Health
Profit Margin (TTM) i0.06%0.01%
Operating Margin (TTM) i0.09%-0.07%
Return on Equity (TTM) i0.24%0.02%
Debt to Equity (MRQ) i203.09178.72
Cash & Liquidity
Book Value per Share (MRQ)$47.24$33.50
Cash per Share (MRQ)$37.84$15.88
Operating Cash Flow (TTM) i$8.43B$1.21B
Levered Free Cash Flow (TTM) i$1.10B$-312,750,016
Dividends
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield iN/AN/A
Last 12-Month Dividend i$0.00$0.00

Valuation & Enterprise Metrics Analysis: United Airlines Holdings Inc. vs Alaska Air Group Inc.

MetricUAL (Apr 22, 2026)ALK (Apr 26, 2026)
Price Ratios
P/E Ratio (TTM) i9.5285.77
Forward P/E i6.786.47
PEG Ratio i1.283.41
Price to Sales (TTM) i0.530.33
Price to Book (MRQ) i2.061.25
Market Capitalization
Market Capitalization i$31.53B$4.71B
Enterprise Value i$50.21B$9.48B
Enterprise Value Metrics
Enterprise to Revenue i0.850.66
Enterprise to EBITDA i6.488.30
Risk & Other Metrics
Beta i1.291.28
Book Value per Share (MRQ) i$47.24$33.50

Financial Statements Comparison: United Airlines Holdings Inc. vs Alaska Air Group Inc.

Financial Metrics

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Revenue

Operating Margin

Profit Margin

Long Term Debt

Income Flow Analysis

Financial Statements Comparison

Income Statement

MetricUAL (2025)ALK (2025)
Revenue/Sales i59.07B14.24B
Cost of Goods Sold i42.07B12.22B
COGS % of Revenue i71.2%85.8%
Gross Profit i17.00B2.02B
Gross Margin i28.8%14.2%
Research & Development iN/AN/A
Operating Income (EBIT) i4.97B553.00M
Operating Margin i8.4%3.9%
EBITDA i8.67B1.43B
EBITDA Margin i14.7%10.0%
Pre-Tax Income i4.31B146.00M
Pre-Tax Income % of Revenue i7.3%1.0%
Income Tax i953.00M46.00M
Income Tax % of Revenue i1.6%0.3%
Net Income (Profit) i3.35B100.00M
Profit Margin i5.7%0.7%

Balance Sheet & Liquidity Metrics

MetricUAL (2025)ALK (2025)
Cash & Equivalents i5.94B627.00M
Total Current Assets i16.86B3.27B
Total Current Assets % of Revenue i28.5%22.9%
Total Current Liabilities i26.13B6.59B
Total Current Liabilities % of Revenue i44.2%46.3%
Long-Term Debt i25.98B5.98B
Long-Term Debt % of Revenue i44.0%42.0%
Total Shareholders Equity i15.28B4.12B
Retained Earnings i10.09B5.03B
Retained Earnings % of Revenue i17.1%35.3%
Property, Plant & Equipment i18.16B3.69B

Cash Flow Statement Comparison

MetricUAL (2025)ALK (2025)
Operating Cash Flow i8.70B1.25B
Operating Cash Flow % of Revenue i14.7%8.8%
Capital Expenditures i98.00M-1.59B
Free Cash Flow i2.56B-339.00M
FCF Margin i4.3%-2.4%
Debt Repayment i-4.77B-519.00M
Common Stock Repurchase i-637.00M-570.00M

Short Interest & Institutional Ownership Analysis

MetricUALALK
Shares Short i15.26M15.10M
Short Ratio i1.832.83
Short % of Float i4.74%15.25%
Shares Outstanding i323.47M111.36M
Float Shares i320.60M110.62M
% Held by Insiders i0.63%0.53%
% Held by Institutions i90.48%94.72%
% Held by Public i8.89%4.75%

Dividend Analysis & Yield Comparison: United Airlines Holdings Inc. vs Alaska Air Group Inc.

MetricUALALK
Last 12-Month Dividend i$0.00$0.00
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield iN/AN/A
3-Year Avg Annual Dividend i$0.00$0.00
3-Year Avg Dividend Yield iN/AN/A
3-Year Total Dividends i$0.00$0.00
Ex-Dividend DateN/AN/A