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

Southwest Airlines Co.

NYSE
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United Airlines Holdings Inc.

NASDAQ
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TLDR: Quick Comparison Summary

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

View Metrics Details

Vital Metrics Comparison

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

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

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LUV
UAL

Performance Comparison

Short-term Returns

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

Long-term Returns

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

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

MetricLUVUAL
Market Information
Market Cap i$18.55B$31.53B
Market Cap CategoryLarge capLarge cap
10 Day Avg. Volume i7,076,1898,672,843
90 Day Avg. Volume i8,096,5838,538,158
Last Close$46.08$119.97
52 Week Range$28.98 - $55.11$71.55 - $124.79
% from 52W High-16.39%-3.86%
All-Time High$66.99 (Dec 18, 2017)$124.79 (Jun 15, 2026)
% from All-Time High-31.21%-3.86%
Growth Metrics
Quarterly Revenue Growth0.07%0.05%
Quarterly Earnings Growth0.24%0.06%
Financial Health
Profit Margin (TTM) i0.02%0.06%
Operating Margin (TTM) i0.05%0.09%
Return on Equity (TTM) i0.05%0.24%
Debt to Equity (MRQ) i74.94203.09
Cash & Liquidity
Book Value per Share (MRQ)$15.48$47.24
Cash per Share (MRQ)$6.58$37.84
Operating Cash Flow (TTM) i$1.84B$8.43B
Levered Free Cash Flow (TTM) i$-683,875,008$1.10B
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 United Airlines Holdings Inc.

MetricLUV (Apr 24, 2026)UAL (Apr 22, 2026)
Price Ratios
P/E Ratio (TTM) i51.809.52
Forward P/E i8.956.78
PEG Ratio i1.201.28
Price to Sales (TTM) i0.720.53
Price to Book (MRQ) i2.642.06
Market Capitalization
Market Capitalization i$18.55B$31.53B
Enterprise Value i$22.85B$50.21B
Enterprise Value Metrics
Enterprise to Revenue i0.810.85
Enterprise to EBITDA i13.296.48
Risk & Other Metrics
Beta i1.181.29
Book Value per Share (MRQ) i$15.48$47.24

Financial Statements Comparison: Southwest Airlines Co. 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

MetricLUV (2025)UAL (2025)
Revenue/Sales i28.06B59.07B
Cost of Goods Sold i23.17B42.07B
COGS % of Revenue i82.6%71.2%
Gross Profit i4.90B17.00B
Gross Margin i17.4%28.8%
Research & Development iN/AN/A
Operating Income (EBIT) i428.00M4.97B
Operating Margin i1.5%8.4%
EBITDA i2.20B8.67B
EBITDA Margin i7.8%14.7%
Pre-Tax Income i563.00M4.31B
Pre-Tax Income % of Revenue i2.0%7.3%
Income Tax i122.00M953.00M
Income Tax % of Revenue i0.4%1.6%
Net Income (Profit) i441.00M3.35B
Profit Margin i1.6%5.7%

Balance Sheet & Liquidity Metrics

MetricLUV (2025)UAL (2025)
Cash & Equivalents i3.23B5.94B
Total Current Assets i5.65B16.86B
Total Current Assets % of Revenue i20.1%28.5%
Total Current Liabilities i10.92B26.13B
Total Current Liabilities % of Revenue i38.9%44.2%
Long-Term Debt i5.35B25.98B
Long-Term Debt % of Revenue i19.0%44.0%
Total Shareholders Equity i7.98B15.28B
Retained Earnings i16.39B10.09B
Retained Earnings % of Revenue i58.4%17.1%
Property, Plant & Equipment i10.34B18.16B

Cash Flow Statement Comparison

MetricLUV (2025)UAL (2025)
Operating Cash Flow i1.62B8.70B
Operating Cash Flow % of Revenue i5.8%14.7%
Capital Expenditures i24.00M98.00M
Free Cash Flow i-831.00M2.56B
FCF Margin i-3.0%4.3%
Debt Repayment i-3.28B-4.77B
Common Stock Repurchase i-2.55B-637.00M

Short Interest & Institutional Ownership Analysis

MetricLUVUAL
Shares Short i20.45M15.26M
Short Ratio i2.111.83
Short % of Float i5.50%4.74%
Shares Outstanding i515.58M323.47M
Float Shares i486.20M320.60M
% Held by Insiders i1.00%0.63%
% Held by Institutions i93.73%90.48%
% Held by Public i5.27%8.89%

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

MetricLUVUAL
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