Side-by-side comparison
Southwest Airlines vs United Airlines
As of Sep 25, 2026, P/E is 26.7x for Southwest Airlines vs 10.7x for United Airlines; P/S is 0.7x for Southwest Airlines vs 0.6x for United Airlines; revenue growth is 9.5% for Southwest Airlines vs 8.5% for United Airlines; operating margin is 3.5% for Southwest Airlines vs 7.7% for United Airlines.
Key metrics
| Metric | LUV | UAL |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $42.68 | $113.99 |
| Market cap | $20.88B | $37B |
| P/E | 26.7x (#2) | 10.7x (#1) |
| P/S | 0.7x (#2) | 0.6x (#1) |
| Revenue growth | 9.5% (#1) | 8.5% (#2) |
| Operating margin | 3.5% (#2) | 7.7% (#1) |
| Net margin | 2.8% (#2) | 5.6% (#1) |
| Debt / equity | 0.54 (#1) | 1.45 (#2) |
| 1-year return | +31.2% (#1) | +16.4% (#2) |
| Research score | 52/100 (#2) | 54/100 (#1) |
Higher is better for growth, margins, one-year return and overall score; lower is better for valuation and debt ratios. Ties share a rank and missing values are excluded.
Company research
- Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) — Airlines
- United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (UAL) — Airlines