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 $41.66 (market cap $20.23B), while UnitedHealth Group Inc trades at $379.3 (market cap $332.96B). The key difference: UnitedHealth Group Inc is far larger — about 16.5× Southwest Airlines Co's market cap, and UnitedHealth Group Inc pays the higher dividend (2.5%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals — on Pluang, investors hold Southwest Airlines Co for 65 Days and UnitedHealth Group Inc for 97 Days on average.
| LUV | UNH | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $20.23B | $332.96B |
Volume | 14,560,422 | 7,273,749 |
Sector | Industrials | Health |
52-Week High | $54.80 | $436.35 |
52-Week Low | $29.67 | $259.02 |
Typical Hold Time | 65 Days | 97 Days |
Enterprise Value | $23.33B | $374.82B |
Dividend Yield | 1.74% | 2.5% |
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 $41.36, down 0.86% on the day, with a mixed technical picture showing bearish moving averages but neutral oscillators. Fundamentally, the company reported revenue of $28.06B in 2025 with a net income margin of 2.78%, while valuation ratios like P/E of 25.85 and P/S of 0.72 suggest moderate pricing. Recent earnings have been volatile, with a significant beat in Q2 2026 but a miss in Q1 2026, and the upcoming Q3 2026 results on October 21, 2026, are highly anticipated amid a commercial transformation driving record unit revenue.
The outlook for LUV is cautiously optimistic, with analyst consensus pointing to a $49.61 price target and 42% buy ratings, but risks include high fuel costs, competitive pressures from rivals like United and American, and macroeconomic volatility. Investment opportunity lies in the successful execution of new fare structures and ancillary services, projected to boost EBIT, though bearish technical signals and net cash outflows require careful monitoring for sustained shareholder value.
UnitedHealth Group (UNH) trades at $370.95, down 1.34% on the day, amid a bearish technical signal from moving averages. The company reported strong Q2 2026 earnings, beating estimates with EPS of $6.38 versus $4.91 expected, and raised full-year guidance. Revenue for 2025 reached $447.57 billion, though net income margin declined to 2.69%. Analyst consensus remains strongly bullish with an 82.69% buy rating and a $470.11 price target, suggesting significant upside from current levels.
UNH presents a compelling investment case driven by earnings beats, raised 2026 outlook, and strategic initiatives like AI investment in Optum. Key risks include regulatory pressures in healthcare, volatility from Medicare Advantage plan changes, and margin compression. The stock's valuation at a P/E of 23.84 appears reasonable given growth prospects, but investors should weigh execution risks against the positive analyst sentiment and institutional backing.
Returns comparison
Trailing returns across standard periods
Returns comparison
Trailing returns across standard periods
Investor sentiment on Pluang
What Pluang investors did over the last 30 days
Investor sentiment on Pluang
What Pluang investors did over the last 30 days
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 →
