Southwest Airlines Co vs Nasdaq Inc — how do they compare? Southwest Airlines Co trades at $44.9 (market cap $22.27B), while Nasdaq Inc trades at $95.18 (market cap $53.11B). The key difference: Nasdaq Inc is far larger — about 2.4× Southwest Airlines Co's market cap, and Southwest Airlines Co pays the higher dividend (1.58%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| LUV | NDAQ | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $22.27B | $53.11B |
Sector | Industrials | Financials |
52-Week High | $54.80 | $100.98 |
52-Week Low | $29.67 | $76.85 |
Enterprise Value | $25.37B | $59.57B |
Dividend Yield | 1.58% | 1.22% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Southwest Airlines (LUV) trades at $44.91, showing minimal daily movement. The stock exhibits a bearish technical trend, with key support at $45 and resistance at $46. Fundamentally, revenue grew to $28.06B in 2025, though net income margin compressed to 1.57%. Recent Q2 2026 earnings beat expectations with EPS of $0.94 versus $0.51 expected, while Q1 2026 missed. The company maintains a dividend of $0.18 per share and is focusing on business travel expansion.
LUV presents a mixed outlook. Analyst consensus is a Buy with a $53.86 price target, implying ~20% upside, supported by earnings rebound and strategic initiatives. However, risks include fuel cost volatility, competitive pressures, and bearish technical indicators. Investors should weigh solid liquidity and growth initiatives against margin pressures and macroeconomic sensitivities.
Nasdaq (NDAQ) trades at $95.26, down 0.38% on the day, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages and strong fundamental performance. Revenue grew to $8.26B in 2025, with net income reaching $1.79B and a profit margin of 21.64%. The company has beaten EPS estimates in recent quarters and announced the acquisition of LeveL Markets to expand its market infrastructure. Analyst consensus is strongly positive, with a $109.20 price target indicating ~15% upside.
Outlook remains favorable driven by earnings growth and strategic acquisitions, though risks include market volatility and integration challenges. The stock offers value through consistent profitability and dividend payments, supported by institutional confidence. Investors should weigh execution risks against the potential for continued expansion in financial services technology.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
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 →Founded in 1971, Nasdaq is primarily known for its equity exchange, but in addition to its market-services business (about 35% of sales), the company sells and distributes market data as well as offers Nasdaq-branded indexes to asset managers and investors through its information-services segment (30%). Nasdaq's corporate-services business (20%) offers listing services and related investor relations products to publicly traded companies and through the company's market technology group (15%), Nasdaq facilitates the exchange operations of other exchanges throughout the world and provides financial compliance services.
Read more on NDAQ →