Southwest Airlines Co vs Vistra Corp — how do they compare? Southwest Airlines Co trades at $45.8 (market cap $21.97B), while Vistra Corp trades at $145.5 (market cap $47.95B). The key difference: Vistra Corp is far larger — about 2.2× Southwest Airlines Co's market cap, and Southwest Airlines Co pays the higher dividend (1.6%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| LUV | VST | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $21.97B | $47.95B |
Sector | Industrials | Technology |
52-Week High | $54.80 | $217.92 |
52-Week Low | $29.06 | $134.71 |
Enterprise Value | $25.06B | $69.89B |
Dividend Yield | 1.6% | 0.64% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Southwest Airlines (LUV) trades at $47.05, up 0.23% today, with a bullish technical signal and consensus price target of $53.86. Recent Q2 2026 earnings beat expectations with EPS of $0.94 versus $0.51 expected, driven by record revenue. The company maintains a solid liquidity position of $8.73B cash and has declared quarterly dividends of $0.18 per share, with new board appointments signaling strategic focus.
Outlook is positive with projected 2026 net income margin of 2.78% and revenue growth to $30.1B, but risks include fuel cost volatility and competitive pressures. Analyst sentiment is mixed with 42% buy ratings, offering potential upside of 14.5% to the consensus target, though institutional selling by firms like Elliott Management warrants monitoring.
Vistra (VST) trades at $140.59, down 0.56% on the day, with a bearish technical signal driven by selling pressure in moving averages. The stock shows strong profitability with a net income margin of 11.55% and ROE of 75.73%, though recent quarterly EPS results were mixed with two misses against expectations. Analyst consensus remains overwhelmingly bullish with a 90.91% buy rating and a $239.75 price target, highlighting growth potential from data center electricity demand.
The outlook is supported by strategic positioning in power generation for AI infrastructure, but risks include volatile hedging impacts and high P/B valuation. Earnings growth from hyperscaler deals and nuclear assets offers upside, while technical weakness near support at $136 requires monitoring for stability.
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 →Vistra is a leading integrated retail electricity and power generation company that serves as a critical infrastructure provider for the digital economy. It operates a diversified portfolio of zero-carbon nuclear and renewable assets alongside a massive, flexible natural gas fleet, positioning it as an indispensable partner for energy-intensive AI data centers and industrial electrification.
Read more on VST →