Southwest Airlines [LUV] vs American Airlines [AAL] Detailed Stock Comparison

TLDR: Quick Comparison Summary

Based on 21 vital metrics comparison: Southwest Airlines Co. wins in 9 metrics, American Airlines Group Inc. wins in 10 metrics, with 0 ties. American Airlines Group Inc. appears stronger overall.

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Vital Metrics Comparison

Metric Southwest Airlines Co. American Airlines Group Inc. Better
P/E Ratio (TTM) 51.80 11.06 American Airlines Group Inc.
Price-to-Book Ratio 2.64 -1.59 Southwest Airlines Co.
Debt-to-Equity Ratio 74.94 -8.12 Southwest Airlines Co.
PEG Ratio 1.20 5.48 Southwest Airlines Co.
EV/EBITDA 13.29 6.74 American Airlines Group Inc.
Profit Margin (TTM) 1.57% 1.26% Southwest Airlines Co.
Operating Margin (TTM) 5.09% -1.51% Southwest Airlines Co.
EBITDA Margin (TTM) 5.09% N/A N/A
Return on Equity 4.81% -21.27% Southwest Airlines Co.
Return on Assets (TTM) 0.95% 3.03% American Airlines Group Inc.
Free Cash Flow (TTM) $-831.00M $1.30B American Airlines Group Inc.
Dividend Yield 1.86% N/A N/A
1-Year Return 43.30% 44.46% American Airlines Group Inc.
Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM) 0.72 0.13 American Airlines Group Inc.
Enterprise Value $22.85B $35.88B American Airlines Group Inc.
EV/Revenue Ratio 0.81 0.66 American Airlines Group Inc.
Gross Profit Margin (TTM) 20.32% 14.96% Southwest Airlines Co.
Revenue per Share (TTM) $52 $82 American Airlines Group Inc.
Earnings per Share (Diluted) $0.79 $1.00 American Airlines Group Inc.
Beta (Stock Volatility) 1.18 1.38 Southwest Airlines Co.
Short % of Float 5.50% 10.10% Southwest Airlines Co.

Southwest Airlines Co. vs American Airlines Group Inc. Stock Performance Analysis

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Performance Comparison

Short-term Returns

Stock1D1W1M3M6MYTD
Southwest Airlines Co.1.34%12.34%19.69%14.54%10.45%11.57%
American Airlines Group Inc.-3.97%-11.62%-7.19%17.21%1.28%-3.23%

Long-term Returns

Stock1Y3Y5Y10Y15Y20Y
Southwest Airlines Co.43.30%32.76%-17.61%14.42%315.63%178.96%
American Airlines Group Inc.44.46%-9.10%-32.79%-48.94%78.33%-66.86%

Performance & Financial Health Analysis: Southwest Airlines Co. vs American Airlines Group Inc.

MetricLUVAAL
Market Information
Market Cap i$18.55B$7.29B
Market Cap CategoryLarge capMid cap
10 Day Avg. Volume i7,076,18951,855,660
90 Day Avg. Volume i8,096,58357,827,287
Last Close$46.08$14.98
52 Week Range$28.98 - $55.11$10.09 - $18.79
% from 52W High-16.39%-20.28%
All-Time High$66.99 (Dec 18, 2017)$63.27 (Nov 20, 2006)
% from All-Time High-31.21%-76.32%
Growth Metrics
Quarterly Revenue Growth0.07%0.00%
Quarterly Earnings Growth0.24%0.00%
Financial Health
Profit Margin (TTM) i0.02%0.01%
Operating Margin (TTM) i0.05%-0.02%
Return on Equity (TTM) i0.05%-0.21%
Debt to Equity (MRQ) i74.94-8.12
Cash & Liquidity
Book Value per Share (MRQ)$15.48$-6.84
Cash per Share (MRQ)$6.58$12.16
Operating Cash Flow (TTM) i$1.84B$4.26B
Levered Free Cash Flow (TTM) i$-683,875,008$940.37M
Dividends
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield i1.86%N/A
Last 12-Month Dividend i$0.72$0.00

Valuation & Enterprise Metrics Analysis: Southwest Airlines Co. vs American Airlines Group Inc.

MetricLUV (Apr 24, 2026)AAL (Jun 12, 2025)
Price Ratios
P/E Ratio (TTM) i51.8011.06
Forward P/E i8.955.48
PEG Ratio i1.205.48
Price to Sales (TTM) i0.720.13
Price to Book (MRQ) i2.64-1.59
Market Capitalization
Market Capitalization i$18.55B$7.29B
Enterprise Value i$22.85B$35.88B
Enterprise Value Metrics
Enterprise to Revenue i0.810.66
Enterprise to EBITDA i13.296.74
Risk & Other Metrics
Beta i1.181.38
Book Value per Share (MRQ) i$15.48$-6.84

Financial Statements Comparison: Southwest Airlines Co. vs American Airlines Group Inc.

Financial Metrics

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Revenue

Operating Margin

Profit Margin

Long Term Debt

Income Flow Analysis

Financial Statements Comparison

Income Statement

MetricLUV (2025)AAL (2024)
Revenue/Sales i28.06B54.21B
Cost of Goods Sold i23.17B42.75B
COGS % of Revenue i82.6%78.9%
Gross Profit i4.90B11.47B
Gross Margin i17.4%21.1%
Research & Development iN/AN/A
Operating Income (EBIT) i428.00M3.22B
Operating Margin i1.5%5.9%
EBITDA i2.20B5.94B
EBITDA Margin i7.8%11.0%
Pre-Tax Income i563.00M1.15B
Pre-Tax Income % of Revenue i2.0%2.1%
Income Tax i122.00M308.00M
Income Tax % of Revenue i0.4%0.6%
Net Income (Profit) i441.00M846.00M
Profit Margin i1.6%1.6%

Balance Sheet & Liquidity Metrics

MetricLUV (2025)AAL (2024)
Cash & Equivalents i3.23B804.00M
Total Current Assets i5.65B13.15B
Total Current Assets % of Revenue i20.1%24.3%
Total Current Liabilities i10.92B24.30B
Total Current Liabilities % of Revenue i38.9%44.8%
Long-Term Debt i5.35B31.13B
Long-Term Debt % of Revenue i19.0%57.4%
Total Shareholders Equity i7.98B-3.98B
Retained Earnings i16.39B-6.84B
Retained Earnings % of Revenue i58.4%-12.6%
Property, Plant & Equipment i10.34B7.33B

Cash Flow Statement Comparison

MetricLUV (2025)AAL (2024)
Operating Cash Flow i1.62B4.06B
Operating Cash Flow % of Revenue i5.8%7.5%
Capital Expenditures i24.00M654.00M
Free Cash Flow i-831.00M1.30B
FCF Margin i-3.0%2.4%
Debt Repayment i-3.28B-4.47B
Common Stock Repurchase i-2.55BN/A

Short Interest & Institutional Ownership Analysis

MetricLUVAAL
Shares Short i20.45M66.20M
Short Ratio i2.111.09
Short % of Float i5.50%10.10%
Shares Outstanding i515.58M657.57M
Float Shares i486.20M653.38M
% Held by Insiders i1.00%1.46%
% Held by Institutions i93.73%67.55%
% Held by Public i5.27%30.99%

Dividend Analysis & Yield Comparison: Southwest Airlines Co. vs American Airlines Group Inc.

MetricLUVAAL
Last 12-Month Dividend i$0.72$0.00
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield i1.86%N/A
3-Year Avg Annual Dividend i$0.72$0.00
3-Year Avg Dividend Yield i0.56%N/A
3-Year Total Dividends i$2.16$0.00
Ex-Dividend DateMar 12, 2026N/A