Southwest Airlines Co vs United Airlines Holdings Inc — how do they compare? Southwest Airlines Co trades at $41.71 (market cap $20.23B), while United Airlines Holdings Inc trades at $107.51 (market cap $34.87B). The key difference: United Airlines Holdings Inc is the larger of the two by market cap, and Southwest Airlines Co pays a 1.74% dividend while United Airlines Holdings Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals — on Pluang, investors hold Southwest Airlines Co for 65 Days and United Airlines Holdings Inc for 46 Days on average.
| LUV | UAL | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $20.23B | $34.87B |
Volume | 14,560,422 | 6,329,678 |
Sector | Industrials | Industrials |
52-Week High | $54.80 | $136.11 |
52-Week Low | $29.67 | $85.21 |
Typical Hold Time | 65 Days | 46 Days |
Enterprise Value | $23.33B | $51.90B |
Dividend Yield | 1.74% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Southwest Airlines (LUV) trades at $41.15, down 1.37% on the day, amid a bearish technical signal despite recent earnings beats. The stock shows mixed fundamentals with a P/E of 25.85 and net income margin of 2.78%, while cash flow trends indicate a projected recovery in 2026. Recent news highlights the company's commercial transformation initiatives, including new fare structures and lounge plans, aiming to boost profitability.
Outlook remains cautiously optimistic with a consensus price target of $49.61, suggesting upside potential, though risks include volatile fuel costs and competitive pressures. The stock's valuation appears reasonable relative to sales, but investors should weigh near-term operational headwinds against long-term strategic gains.
United Airlines (UAL) trades at $107.46, down 2.46% with a bearish technical signal despite strong fundamentals. The stock shows attractive valuation metrics with P/E of 10.1 and P/S of 0.6, supported by consistent earnings beats and improving profitability. Recent news highlights aggressive customer acquisition strategies targeting Delta's premium travelers through status-match offers and Starlink-enabled WiFi advantages.
UAL presents a compelling value opportunity with analyst consensus price target of $158.10 (47% upside) and unanimous buy/hold ratings. However, near-term headwinds include rising fuel costs, labor expenses, and technical weakness. The company's strong cash flow generation and strategic positioning for premium customer capture support long-term growth prospects despite current market pessimism.
Trailing returns across standard periods
What Pluang investors did over the last 30 days
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 →United Airlines is a major U.S. network carrier. United's hubs include San Francisco, Chicago, Houston, Denver, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, and Washington, D.C. United operates a hub-and-spoke system that is more focused on international travel than legacy peers.
Read more on UAL →