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

United Airlines Holdings Inc.

NASDAQ
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Southwest Airlines Co.

NYSE
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TLDR: Quick Comparison Summary

Based on 21 vital metrics comparison: United Airlines Holdings Inc. wins in 16 metrics, Southwest Airlines Co. wins in 4 metrics, with 0 ties. United Airlines Holdings Inc. appears stronger overall.

View Metrics Details

Vital Metrics Comparison

Metric United Airlines Holdings Inc. Southwest Airlines Co. Better
P/E Ratio (TTM) 9.52 51.80 United Airlines Holdings Inc.
Price-to-Book Ratio 2.06 2.64 United Airlines Holdings Inc.
Debt-to-Equity Ratio 203.09 74.94 Southwest Airlines Co.
PEG Ratio 1.28 1.20 Southwest Airlines Co.
EV/EBITDA 6.48 13.29 United Airlines Holdings Inc.
Profit Margin (TTM) 5.68% 1.57% United Airlines Holdings Inc.
Operating Margin (TTM) 9.14% 5.09% United Airlines Holdings Inc.
EBITDA Margin (TTM) 9.14% 5.09% United Airlines Holdings Inc.
Return on Equity 23.99% 4.81% United Airlines Holdings Inc.
Return on Assets (TTM) 4.23% 0.95% United Airlines Holdings Inc.
Free Cash Flow (TTM) $2.56B $-831.00M United Airlines Holdings Inc.
Dividend Yield N/A 1.86% N/A
1-Year Return 56.11% 43.30% United Airlines Holdings Inc.
Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM) 0.53 0.72 United Airlines Holdings Inc.
Enterprise Value $50.21B $22.85B United Airlines Holdings Inc.
EV/Revenue Ratio 0.85 0.81 Southwest Airlines Co.
Gross Profit Margin (TTM) 29.27% 20.32% United Airlines Holdings Inc.
Revenue per Share (TTM) $182 $52 United Airlines Holdings Inc.
Earnings per Share (Diluted) $10.20 $0.79 United Airlines Holdings Inc.
Beta (Stock Volatility) 1.29 1.18 Southwest Airlines Co.
Short % of Float 4.74% 5.50% United Airlines Holdings Inc.

United Airlines Holdings Inc. vs Southwest Airlines Co. Stock Performance Analysis

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UAL
LUV

Performance Comparison

Short-term Returns

Stock1D1W1M3M6MYTD
United Airlines Holdings Inc.3.85%13.91%29.21%32.89%11.39%6.16%
Southwest Airlines Co.1.34%12.34%19.69%14.54%10.45%11.57%

Long-term Returns

Stock1Y3Y5Y10Y15Y20Y
United Airlines Holdings Inc.56.11%115.93%110.34%171.05%380.53%266.96%
Southwest Airlines Co.43.30%32.76%-17.61%14.42%315.63%178.96%

Performance & Financial Health Analysis: United Airlines Holdings Inc. vs Southwest Airlines Co.

MetricUALLUV
Market Information
Market Cap i$31.53B$18.55B
Market Cap CategoryLarge capLarge cap
10 Day Avg. Volume i8,672,8437,076,189
90 Day Avg. Volume i8,538,1588,096,583
Last Close$119.97$46.08
52 Week Range$71.55 - $124.79$28.98 - $55.11
% from 52W High-3.86%-16.39%
All-Time High$124.79 (Jun 15, 2026)$66.99 (Dec 18, 2017)
% from All-Time High-3.86%-31.21%
Growth Metrics
Quarterly Revenue Growth0.05%0.07%
Quarterly Earnings Growth0.06%0.24%
Financial Health
Profit Margin (TTM) i0.06%0.02%
Operating Margin (TTM) i0.09%0.05%
Return on Equity (TTM) i0.24%0.05%
Debt to Equity (MRQ) i203.0974.94
Cash & Liquidity
Book Value per Share (MRQ)$47.24$15.48
Cash per Share (MRQ)$37.84$6.58
Operating Cash Flow (TTM) i$8.43B$1.84B
Levered Free Cash Flow (TTM) i$1.10B$-683,875,008
Dividends
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield iN/A1.86%
Last 12-Month Dividend i$0.00$0.72

Valuation & Enterprise Metrics Analysis: United Airlines Holdings Inc. vs Southwest Airlines Co.

MetricUAL (Apr 22, 2026)LUV (Apr 24, 2026)
Price Ratios
P/E Ratio (TTM) i9.5251.80
Forward P/E i6.788.95
PEG Ratio i1.281.20
Price to Sales (TTM) i0.530.72
Price to Book (MRQ) i2.062.64
Market Capitalization
Market Capitalization i$31.53B$18.55B
Enterprise Value i$50.21B$22.85B
Enterprise Value Metrics
Enterprise to Revenue i0.850.81
Enterprise to EBITDA i6.4813.29
Risk & Other Metrics
Beta i1.291.18
Book Value per Share (MRQ) i$47.24$15.48

Financial Statements Comparison: United Airlines Holdings Inc. vs Southwest Airlines Co.

Financial Metrics

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Revenue

Operating Margin

Profit Margin

Long Term Debt

Income Flow Analysis

Financial Statements Comparison

Income Statement

MetricUAL (2025)LUV (2025)
Revenue/Sales i59.07B28.06B
Cost of Goods Sold i42.07B23.17B
COGS % of Revenue i71.2%82.6%
Gross Profit i17.00B4.90B
Gross Margin i28.8%17.4%
Research & Development iN/AN/A
Operating Income (EBIT) i4.97B428.00M
Operating Margin i8.4%1.5%
EBITDA i8.67B2.20B
EBITDA Margin i14.7%7.8%
Pre-Tax Income i4.31B563.00M
Pre-Tax Income % of Revenue i7.3%2.0%
Income Tax i953.00M122.00M
Income Tax % of Revenue i1.6%0.4%
Net Income (Profit) i3.35B441.00M
Profit Margin i5.7%1.6%

Balance Sheet & Liquidity Metrics

MetricUAL (2025)LUV (2025)
Cash & Equivalents i5.94B3.23B
Total Current Assets i16.86B5.65B
Total Current Assets % of Revenue i28.5%20.1%
Total Current Liabilities i26.13B10.92B
Total Current Liabilities % of Revenue i44.2%38.9%
Long-Term Debt i25.98B5.35B
Long-Term Debt % of Revenue i44.0%19.0%
Total Shareholders Equity i15.28B7.98B
Retained Earnings i10.09B16.39B
Retained Earnings % of Revenue i17.1%58.4%
Property, Plant & Equipment i18.16B10.34B

Cash Flow Statement Comparison

MetricUAL (2025)LUV (2025)
Operating Cash Flow i8.70B1.62B
Operating Cash Flow % of Revenue i14.7%5.8%
Capital Expenditures i98.00M24.00M
Free Cash Flow i2.56B-831.00M
FCF Margin i4.3%-3.0%
Debt Repayment i-4.77B-3.28B
Common Stock Repurchase i-637.00M-2.55B

Short Interest & Institutional Ownership Analysis

MetricUALLUV
Shares Short i15.26M20.45M
Short Ratio i1.832.11
Short % of Float i4.74%5.50%
Shares Outstanding i323.47M515.58M
Float Shares i320.60M486.20M
% Held by Insiders i0.63%1.00%
% Held by Institutions i90.48%93.73%
% Held by Public i8.89%5.27%

Dividend Analysis & Yield Comparison: United Airlines Holdings Inc. vs Southwest Airlines Co.

MetricUALLUV
Last 12-Month Dividend i$0.00$0.72
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield iN/A1.86%
3-Year Avg Annual Dividend i$0.00$0.72
3-Year Avg Dividend Yield iN/A0.56%
3-Year Total Dividends i$0.00$2.16
Ex-Dividend DateN/AMar 12, 2026