Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc vs Southwest Airlines Co — how do they compare? Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc trades at $265.42 (market cap $10.64B), while Southwest Airlines Co trades at $48.64 (market cap $23.63B). The key difference: Southwest Airlines Co is far larger — about 2.2× Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc's market cap, and Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc pays the higher dividend (2.04%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| HII | LUV | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $10.64B | $23.63B |
Sector | Technology | Industrials |
52-Week High | $453.73 | $54.80 |
52-Week Low | $252.93 | $29.06 |
Enterprise Value | $13.36B | $26.70B |
Dividend Yield | 2.04% | 1.49% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
HII trades at $270.04, up 0.34% with a bearish technical signal despite recent earnings beats. The company maintains stable revenue around $12.5B with 4.71% net margins and attractive valuation metrics including P/E of 17.55 and P/S of 0.83. Recent developments include key shipbuilding milestones and unmanned vehicle contract awards, while analyst consensus shows 44% buy ratings with a $354.50 price target.
HII presents a mixed outlook with strong fundamentals and analyst optimism offset by bearish technical indicators. The stock offers value with below-market valuation multiples and consistent government contract flow, but faces execution risks in defense spending cycles and competitive pressures. Near-term catalyst includes Q2 2026 earnings on July 30, with current price representing 24% discount to consensus target.
Southwest Airlines (LUV) trades at $48.69, up 1.27% today, with a neutral technical signal. The stock shows mixed earnings results, beating estimates in Q3 and Q4 2025 but missing in Q1 2026, with Q2 2026 results pending. Revenue grew to $28.06B in 2025, though net income margin declined to 1.57%. Analyst consensus is a Buy with a $52.47 price target, indicating potential upside. Recent news highlights Q2 earnings anticipation and sector-wide factors like fuel costs and travel demand.
The outlook for LUV is cautiously optimistic, driven by resilient travel demand and cost management efforts. Key opportunities include earnings growth potential and favorable analyst targets. Risks involve fuel price volatility, competitive pressures, and execution challenges. Investors should weigh strong institutional interest against macroeconomic headwinds affecting the airline industry.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
Huntington Ingalls is the largest military shipbuilder in the U.S. and a provider of professional services to government and industry partners, specializing in nuclear-powered submarines and aircraft carriers.
Read more on HII →Southwest Airlines is the largest domestic carrier in the United States, as measured by the number of originating passengers boarded. Southwest operates over 700 aircraft in an all-Boeing 737 fleet. Despite expanding into longer routes and business travel, the airline still specializes in short-haul leisure flights, using a point-to-point network. Southwest operates a low-cost carrier business model.
Read more on LUV →