Southwest Airlines Co vs Union Pacific Corporation — how do they compare? Southwest Airlines Co trades at $48.64 (market cap $23.63B), while Union Pacific Corporation trades at $293.9 (market cap $175.89B). The key difference: Union Pacific Corporation is far larger — about 7.4× Southwest Airlines Co's market cap, and Union Pacific Corporation pays the higher dividend (1.86%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| LUV | UNP | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $23.63B | $175.89B |
Sector | Industrials | Industrials |
52-Week High | $54.80 | $301.75 |
52-Week Low | $29.06 | $214.91 |
Enterprise Value | $26.70B | $206.36B |
Dividend Yield | 1.49% | 1.86% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
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.
Union Pacific (UNP) trades at $293.13, down 2.86% on the day, with technical indicators showing a bullish trend but overbought RSI levels. The company maintains strong profitability with a 29.2% net margin and 40.69% ROE, supported by consistent cash flow from operations of $9.29B in 2025. Recent news highlights Q2 2026 earnings anticipation and progress on the proposed Norfolk Southern merger, while a class action lawsuit presents a legal overhang.
Outlook remains positive with analyst consensus pointing to 6% upside to a $311.07 price target, though regulatory hurdles for the merger and economic sensitivity pose risks. The stock offers a solid dividend yield and operational resilience, but investors should weigh earnings performance against valuation multiples above industry averages.
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 →Omaha, Nebraska-based Union Pacific is the largest public railroad in North America. Operating on more than 30,000 miles of track in the western two thirds of the U.S., UP generated roughly $22 billion of revenue in 2021 by hauling coal, industrial products, intermodal containers, agriculture goods, chemicals, and automotive goods. UP owns about one fourth of Mexican railroad Ferromex and derives about 10% of its revenue hauling freight to and from Mexico.
Read more on UNP →