Compare Southwest Airlines Co (LUV) vs UnitedHealth Group Inc (UNH) Price & Performance
Price performance (Past 24H)
Key statistics
Key statistics
Southwest Airlines Co vs UnitedHealth Group Inc — how do they compare? Southwest Airlines Co trades at $48.14 (market cap $23.63B), while UnitedHealth Group Inc trades at $431.17 (market cap $382.83B). The key difference: UnitedHealth Group Inc is far larger — about 16.2× Southwest Airlines Co's market cap, and UnitedHealth Group Inc pays the higher dividend (2.2%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| LUV | UNH | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $23.63B | $382.83B |
Sector | Industrials | Health |
52-Week High | $54.80 | $431.68 |
52-Week Low | $29.06 | $237.77 |
Enterprise Value | $26.70B | $429.52B |
Dividend Yield | 1.49% | 2.2% |
Aura AI Summary
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Aura AI Summary
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Southwest Airlines (LUV) trades at $48.28, up 0.42% today, with a neutral technical signal and mixed earnings history. Recent Q1 2026 EPS missed expectations, but Q4 2025 and Q3 2025 beat. Financials show modest revenue growth to $28.06B in 2025, but net income margin is thin at 2.83%. Analyst consensus is mixed with 42% buy, 47% hold, and 11% sell ratings, and a $52.47 price target implies potential upside. Key news highlights Q2 2026 earnings due July 23, 2026, amid fuel cost volatility and travel demand resilience.
LUV presents a cautious opportunity with upside to the consensus target, supported by operational improvements and sector tailwinds, but risks from fuel price swings, execution challenges, and thin margins warrant careful monitoring. The stock's valuation at a P/E of 32.05 appears elevated relative to earnings growth, requiring strong future performance to justify current levels.
UnitedHealth Group (UNH) trades at $426.09, up 0.64% on the day, with a bullish technical signal and strong analyst support. The stock shows consistent earnings beats, with Q2 2026 EPS of $6.38 surpassing expectations of $4.94. Revenue growth remains robust, reaching $447.57 billion in 2025, though net margins have compressed to 2.68%. Recent corporate actions include a $2.32 dividend and ongoing share repurchases, while news highlights operational streamlining like reduced pediatric prior authorizations.
UNH's outlook is positive, driven by aging demographics and tech innovation in healthcare, offering upside to the $467.12 consensus target. Risks include regulatory scrutiny, as seen in Massachusetts' Medicaid lawsuit, and margin pressure from rising costs. Institutional sentiment is strongly bullish, with 82.69% of analysts rating it a buy, supporting long-term growth prospects amid sector tailwinds.
Returns comparison
Trailing returns across standard periods
Returns comparison
Trailing returns across standard periods
Top news
Latest headlines on both assets
Top news
Latest headlines on both assets
About Southwest Airlines Co
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 →About UnitedHealth Group Inc
UnitedHealth Group is one of the largest private health insurers, providing medical benefits to 50 million members globally, including 5 million outside the U.S. at the end of 2021. As a leader in employer-sponsored, self-directed, and government-backed insurance plans, UnitedHealth has obtained massive scale in managed care. Along with its insurance assets, UnitedHealth's continued investments in its Optum franchises have created a healthcare services colossus that spans everything from medical and pharmaceutical benefits to providing outpatient care and analytics to both affiliated and third-party customers.
Read more on UNH →
