United Airlines [UAL] vs Southwest Airlines [LUV] Detailed Stock Comparison

TLDR: Quick Comparison Summary

Based on 20 vital metrics comparison: United Airlines wins in 15 metrics, Southwest Airlines wins in 4 metrics, with 0 ties. United Airlines appears stronger overall.

View Metrics Details

Vital Metrics Comparison

MetricUnited AirlinesSouthwest AirlinesBetter
P/E Ratio (TTM)8.4846.56United Airlines
Price-to-Book Ratio2.051.96Southwest Airlines
Debt-to-Equity Ratio245.1766.76Southwest Airlines
PEG Ratio7.0018.74United Airlines
EV/EBITDA5.3510.39United Airlines
Profit Margin (TTM)5.71%1.43%United Airlines
Operating Margin (TTM)11.83%3.11%United Airlines
EBITDA Margin (TTM)11.83%3.11%United Airlines
Return on Equity27.71%4.25%United Airlines
Return on Assets (TTM)4.59%0.55%United Airlines
Free Cash Flow (TTM)$3.83B$-1.62BUnited Airlines
Dividend YieldN/A1.73%N/A
1-Year Return110.43%18.96%United Airlines
Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM)0.470.57United Airlines
Enterprise Value$44.55B$17.15BUnited Airlines
EV/Revenue Ratio0.770.62Southwest Airlines
Gross Profit Margin (TTM)31.15%18.75%United Airlines
Revenue per Share (TTM)$177$47United Airlines
Earnings per Share (Diluted)$9.97$0.64United Airlines
Beta (Stock Volatility)1.421.20Southwest Airlines
Performance
Key Stats
Valuation
Financials
Short Interest
Dividends

United Airlines vs Southwest Airlines Stock Performance Analysis

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Performance Comparison

Short-term Returns

Stock1D1W1M3M6MYTD
United Airlines-4.24%-7.18%5.65%22.28%-19.33%-11.38%
Southwest Airlines-3.65%-10.27%-10.81%4.27%-2.23%-10.70%

Long-term Returns

Stock1Y3Y5Y10Y15Y20Y
United Airlines110.43%123.61%146.34%49.05%278.90%146.99%
Southwest Airlines18.96%-23.22%-10.46%-20.70%149.37%113.47%

Performance & Financial Health Analysis: United Airlines vs Southwest Airlines

MetricUALLUV
Market Information
Market Cap i$27.38B$15.65B
Market Cap CategoryLarge capLarge cap
10 Day Avg. Volume i5,960,55016,084,460
90 Day Avg. Volume i7,665,56312,887,163
Last Close$84.57$29.80
52 Week Range$37.02 - $116.00$23.58 - $37.96
% from 52W High-27.09%-21.50%
All-Time High$116.00 (Jan 20, 2025)$66.99 (Dec 18, 2017)
% from All-Time High-27.09%-55.52%
Growth Metrics
Quarterly Revenue Growth0.02%-0.02%
Quarterly Earnings Growth-0.27%-0.42%
Financial Health
Profit Margin (TTM) i0.06%0.01%
Operating Margin (TTM) i0.12%0.03%
Return on Equity (TTM) i0.28%0.04%
Debt to Equity (MRQ) i245.1766.76
Cash & Liquidity
Book Value per Share (MRQ)$41.30$15.23
Cash per Share (MRQ)$48.24$7.31
Operating Cash Flow (TTM) i$9.65B$1.85B
Levered Free Cash Flow (TTM) i$2.32B$-304,000,000
Dividends
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield iN/A1.73%
Last 12-Month Dividend i$0.00$0.54

Valuation & Enterprise Metrics Analysis: United Airlines vs Southwest Airlines

MetricUALLUV
Price Ratios
P/E Ratio (TTM) i8.4846.56
Forward P/E i7.0018.74
PEG Ratio i7.0018.74
Price to Sales (TTM) i0.470.57
Price to Book (MRQ) i2.051.96
Market Capitalization
Market Capitalization i$27.38B$15.65B
Enterprise Value i$44.55B$17.15B
Enterprise Value Metrics
Enterprise to Revenue i0.770.62
Enterprise to EBITDA i5.3510.39
Risk & Other Metrics
Beta i1.421.20
Book Value per Share (MRQ) i$41.30$15.23

Financial Statements Comparison: United Airlines vs Southwest Airlines

Financial Metrics

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Revenue

EBITDA

Shareholders Equity

Operating Margin

Free Cash Flow

Long Term Debt

Profit Margin

Current Ratio

Operating Cash Flow

Income Statement (MRQ)

Metric (MRQ)UALLUV
Revenue/Sales i$15.24B$6.43B
Cost of Goods Sold i$10.49B$5.56B
Gross Profit i$4.75B$867.00M
Research & Development iN/AN/A
Operating Income (EBIT) i$1.77B$-223.00M
EBITDA i$1.98B$257.00M
Pre-Tax Income i$1.25B$-192.00M
Income Tax i$275.00M$-43.00M
Net Income (Profit) i$973.00M$-149.00M

Balance Sheet & Liquidity Metrics (MRQ)

Metric (MRQ)UALLUV
Cash & Equivalents i$9.37B$8.13B
Total Current Assets i$20.15B$10.73B
Total Current Liabilities i$25.80B$13.90B
Long-Term Debt i$29.15B$5.06B
Total Shareholders Equity i$12.62B$9.37B
Retained Earnings i$7.14B$16.08B
Property, Plant & Equipment i$47.52B$9.87B

Cash Flow Statement Comparison (MRQ)

Metric (MRQ)UALLUV
Operating Cash Flow iN/A$989.00M
Capital Expenditures i$29.00M$24.00M
Free Cash Flow i$2.48B$359.00M
Debt Repayment i$-1.01B$-5.00M
Common Stock Repurchase i$-349.00M$-750.00M

Short Interest & Institutional Ownership Analysis

MetricUALLUV
Shares Short i13.54M35.45M
Short Ratio i1.813.14
Short % of Float i0.05%0.07%
Average Daily Volume (10 Day) i5,960,55016,084,460
Average Daily Volume (90 Day) i7,665,56312,887,163
Shares Outstanding i327.90M593.31M
Float Shares i321.08M464.93M
% Held by Insiders i0.01%0.01%
% Held by Institutions i0.90%1.02%

Dividend Analysis & Yield Comparison: United Airlines vs Southwest Airlines

MetricUALLUV
Last 12-Month Dividend i$0.00$0.54
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield iN/A1.73%
3-Year Avg Annual Dividend i$0.00$0.54
3-Year Avg Dividend Yield iN/A0.56%
3-Year Total Dividends i$0.00$1.62
Ex-Dividend DateN/AMar 12, 2025