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

TLDR: Quick Comparison Summary

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

View Metrics Details

Vital Metrics Comparison

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

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

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Performance Comparison

Short-term Returns

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

Long-term Returns

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

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

MetricALKUAL
Market Information
Market Cap i$4.71B$31.53B
Market Cap CategoryMid capLarge cap
10 Day Avg. Volume i4,977,6628,672,843
90 Day Avg. Volume i5,076,0548,538,158
Last Close$49.08$119.97
52 Week Range$33.03 - $65.88$71.55 - $124.79
% from 52W High-25.50%-3.86%
All-Time High$101.43 (Feb 27, 2017)$124.79 (Jun 15, 2026)
% from All-Time High-51.61%-3.86%
Growth Metrics
Quarterly Revenue Growth0.05%0.05%
Quarterly Earnings GrowthN/A0.06%
Financial Health
Profit Margin (TTM) i0.01%0.06%
Operating Margin (TTM) i-0.07%0.09%
Return on Equity (TTM) i0.02%0.24%
Debt to Equity (MRQ) i178.72203.09
Cash & Liquidity
Book Value per Share (MRQ)$33.50$47.24
Cash per Share (MRQ)$15.88$37.84
Operating Cash Flow (TTM) i$1.21B$8.43B
Levered Free Cash Flow (TTM) i$-312,750,016$1.10B
Dividends
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield iN/AN/A
Last 12-Month Dividend i$0.00$0.00

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

MetricALK (Apr 26, 2026)UAL (Apr 22, 2026)
Price Ratios
P/E Ratio (TTM) i85.779.52
Forward P/E i6.476.78
PEG Ratio i3.411.28
Price to Sales (TTM) i0.330.53
Price to Book (MRQ) i1.252.06
Market Capitalization
Market Capitalization i$4.71B$31.53B
Enterprise Value i$9.48B$50.21B
Enterprise Value Metrics
Enterprise to Revenue i0.660.85
Enterprise to EBITDA i8.306.48
Risk & Other Metrics
Beta i1.281.29
Book Value per Share (MRQ) i$33.50$47.24

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

Financial Metrics

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Revenue

Operating Margin

Profit Margin

Long Term Debt

Income Flow Analysis

Financial Statements Comparison

Income Statement

MetricALK (2025)UAL (2025)
Revenue/Sales i14.24B59.07B
Cost of Goods Sold i12.22B42.07B
COGS % of Revenue i85.8%71.2%
Gross Profit i2.02B17.00B
Gross Margin i14.2%28.8%
Research & Development iN/AN/A
Operating Income (EBIT) i553.00M4.97B
Operating Margin i3.9%8.4%
EBITDA i1.43B8.67B
EBITDA Margin i10.0%14.7%
Pre-Tax Income i146.00M4.31B
Pre-Tax Income % of Revenue i1.0%7.3%
Income Tax i46.00M953.00M
Income Tax % of Revenue i0.3%1.6%
Net Income (Profit) i100.00M3.35B
Profit Margin i0.7%5.7%

Balance Sheet & Liquidity Metrics

MetricALK (2025)UAL (2025)
Cash & Equivalents i627.00M5.94B
Total Current Assets i3.27B16.86B
Total Current Assets % of Revenue i22.9%28.5%
Total Current Liabilities i6.59B26.13B
Total Current Liabilities % of Revenue i46.3%44.2%
Long-Term Debt i5.98B25.98B
Long-Term Debt % of Revenue i42.0%44.0%
Total Shareholders Equity i4.12B15.28B
Retained Earnings i5.03B10.09B
Retained Earnings % of Revenue i35.3%17.1%
Property, Plant & Equipment i3.69B18.16B

Cash Flow Statement Comparison

MetricALK (2025)UAL (2025)
Operating Cash Flow i1.25B8.70B
Operating Cash Flow % of Revenue i8.8%14.7%
Capital Expenditures i-1.59B98.00M
Free Cash Flow i-339.00M2.56B
FCF Margin i-2.4%4.3%
Debt Repayment i-519.00M-4.77B
Common Stock Repurchase i-570.00M-637.00M

Short Interest & Institutional Ownership Analysis

MetricALKUAL
Shares Short i15.10M15.26M
Short Ratio i2.831.83
Short % of Float i15.25%4.74%
Shares Outstanding i111.36M323.47M
Float Shares i110.62M320.60M
% Held by Insiders i0.53%0.63%
% Held by Institutions i94.72%90.48%
% Held by Public i4.75%8.89%

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

MetricALKUAL
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