AAL vs UAL vs DAL Stock Comparison

American Airlines, United Airlines Holdings and Delta Air Lines Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
DAL Delta Air Lines, Inc.
$76.75 -6.1% 1M +30.6% 1Y
Market cap
$51.86B
P/E
15.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$71.80B
Div. yield
–
Airlines Industrials
6 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Delta Air Lines leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Delta Air Lines 6, United Airlines Holdings 5). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionAALUALDALLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $8.09B $32.72B $51.86B DAL
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only -24.8x 9.1x 15.8x UAL
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS — 12.5x 13.8x UAL
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +7.5% +12.3% +14.1% DAL
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months -0.6% 5.5% 4.6% UAL
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 3.6% 8.9% 10.8% DAL
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 7.6x 1.5x 1.3x DAL
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -5.2% +2.4% +30.6% DAL
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -8.8%/yr +16.0%/yr +14.1%/yr UAL
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 47.7% 48.1% 38.6% DAL
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 29/100 49/100 39/100 UAL

Percentile Scorecard

AALUALDAL

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisAALUALDAL
Valuation 70 #41 of 136 74 #36 of 136 67 #45 of 136
Growth 14 #105 of 122 50 #61 of 122 48 #64 of 122
Profitability 24 #91 of 119 49 #61 of 119 48 #62 of 119
Financial Health 8 #136 of 147 21 #116 of 147 22 #115 of 147
Shareholder Returns – – 7 #78 of 84
Overall 29 49 39
  • AAL ranked among 150 companies in Transportation
  • UAL ranked among 150 companies in Transportation
  • DAL ranked among 150 companies in Transportation

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodAALUALDALSPY
1 month -9.3%-11.6%-6.1% -1.0%
3 months -16.4%-17.2%-9.8% +2.9%
6 months +0.1%+5.3%+12.1% +6.4%
Year to date -21.0%-12.4%+10.6% +11.4%
1 year -5.2%+2.4%+30.6% +13.1%
3 years +8.0%+178.7%+139.7% +79.4%
3 years, per year +2.6%+40.8%+33.9% +21.5%
5 years -36.8%+109.6%+93.1% +67.7%
5 years, per year -8.8%+16.0%+14.1% +10.9%
10 years -69.6%+76.1%+86.4% +255.2%
10 years, per year -11.2%+5.8%+6.4% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureAALUALDALSPY
Volatility, 1Y 47.7%48.1%38.6% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 45.8%43.9%34.2% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.922.211.70 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.110.050.79 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -59.3%-49.2%-48.0% -25.4%
From 52-week high -33.3%-28.1%-18.1% -2.5%
52-week high $18.15$136.11$93.66 $779.14
52-week low $10.18$85.21$55.65 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleAALUALDAL
P/E now vs peer median -24.6xmedian 16.0x 8.9xmedian 16.0x 15.3xmedian 16.0x
P/S now vs peer median 0.1xmedian 1.0x 0.5xmedian 1.0x 0.7xmedian 1.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 10.4xmedian 8.7x 5.5xmedian 8.7x 7.7xmedian 8.7x
P/FCF now vs peer median 28.1xmedian 11.5x 28.5xmedian 11.5x 16.7xmedian 11.5x
P/B now vs peer median -2.0xmedian 1.2x 1.8xmedian 1.2x 2.2xmedian 1.2x
PEG now vs peer median 0.86median 0.82 1.07median 0.82 -8.23median 0.82

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsAALUALDAL
Revenue $58.34B $65.55B $71.80B
Operating income $1.01B $4.92B $5.29B
Net income -$326.00M $3.58B $3.29B
Free cash flow $285.00M $1.12B $3.02B
EPS (diluted) $-0.49 $10.93 $4.99
Cash & equivalents – $6.65B $3.79B
Total debt $28.93B $26.40B $13.95B
Shares (diluted) 662.61M 327.40M 659.00M
Enterprise value -$15.95B -$24.97B $34.04B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricAALUALDAL
P/E -24.6x 8.9x 15.3x
P/FCF 28.1x 28.5x 16.7x
P/Operating cash flow 1.8x 3.9x 6.3x
P/S 0.1x 0.5x 0.7x
P/B -2.0x 1.8x 2.2x
P/Tangible book -1.3x 2.1x 3.1x
EV/EBITDA 10.4x 5.5x 7.7x
EV/EBIT 30.0x 8.8x 11.5x
EV/Revenue 0.5x 0.7x 0.8x
EV/FCF 106.0x 39.0x 20.1x
EV/Operating cash flow 6.9x 5.3x 7.6x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.86 1.07 -8.23

Growth

14 metrics
MetricAALUALDAL
Revenue growth (1Y) 7.5% 12.3% 14.1%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 3.3% 7.7% 7.8%
Gross profit growth (1Y) – – –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – – –
Operating income growth (1Y) -51.7% 1.9% -12.9%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -41.0% 2.4% -2.3%
Net income growth (1Y) -157.5% 8.6% -28.9%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -28.5% 7.7% -1.1%
EPS growth (1Y) -157.3% 8.4% -29.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -28.8% 8.3% -1.9%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 6.8% -12.9% 0.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 0.2% -3.1% 4.0%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -81.8% -69.9% -1.7%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -47.4% -5.8% 36.6%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricAALUALDAL
Gross margin – – –
EBITDA margin 5.0% 12.2% 11.0%
Operating margin 1.7% 7.5% 7.4%
Pretax margin -0.6% 6.9% 6.1%
Net margin -0.6% 5.5% 4.6%
FCF margin 0.5% 1.7% 4.2%
Operating cash flow margin 7.5% 12.4% 11.1%
Return on equity – 20.8% 14.8%
Return on assets -0.5% 4.2% 3.8%
Return on invested capital 3.6% 8.9% 10.8%
Return on capital employed 2.7% 8.5% 10.0%
Asset turnover 0.9x 0.8x 0.8x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) -13.4x 2.3x 2.4x
Stock comp / revenue – – –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricAALUALDAL
Debt / assets 45.0% 31.0% 16.2%
Debt / equity -7.3x 1.5x 0.6x
Net debt / EBITDA 7.6x 1.5x 1.3x
Debt / FCF 101.5x 23.7x 4.6x
Liabilities / assets 106.2% 79.1% 73.8%
Equity / assets -6.2% 20.9% 26.2%
Interest coverage 0.6x 3.6x –
Current ratio 0.5x 0.8x 0.4x
Quick ratio 0.7x 0.6x 0.2x
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.6x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 0.64 1.36 1.48

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricAALUALDAL
Dividend yield – – 1.0%
Net buyback yield – – –
Shareholder yield 0.0% 0.0% 1.0%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – –
Payout ratio (FCF) – – –
Dividend growth (1Y) – – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusAALUALDAL
Forward P/E – 12.5xFY2026 13.8xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $-0.99FY2026 $7.85FY2026 $5.57FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -375.0%FY2026 -26.1%FY2026 -4.3%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after – +68.2% +42.0%
Revenue, next fiscal year $59.52BFY2026 $66.26BFY2026 $70.62BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +9.0%FY2026 +12.2%FY2026 +21.2%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +7.1% +12.3% -5.3%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersAALUALDAL
Held by institutions 78.0% 89.6% 88.2%
Institutions holding 578 1,066 1,511
Change in shares held, QoQ +16.5% +2.4% +0.6%
Institutions buying 276 568 815
Institutions selling 182 341 483
Buyers to sellers 1.52 1.67 1.69

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

AALUALDAL
AAL 1.00 0.84 0.85
UAL 0.84 1.00 0.90
DAL 0.85 0.90 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, AAL, UAL and DAL?

Delta Air Lines (DAL) is the largest by market capitalisation: American Airlines (AAL) $8.09B, United Airlines Holdings (UAL) $32.72B, Delta Air Lines (DAL) $51.86B.

Which stock is cheaper, AAL, UAL and DAL?

United Airlines Holdings (UAL) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (American Airlines (AAL) -24.8x, United Airlines Holdings (UAL) 9.1x, Delta Air Lines (DAL) 15.8x). On next year's consensus earnings, United Airlines Holdings (UAL) is cheapest (United Airlines Holdings (UAL) 12.5x, Delta Air Lines (DAL) 13.8x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Delta Air Lines (DAL) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: American Airlines (AAL) +7.5%, United Airlines Holdings (UAL) +12.3%, Delta Air Lines (DAL) +14.1%.

Which company is more profitable?

United Airlines Holdings (UAL) has the highest net margin (American Airlines (AAL) -0.6%, United Airlines Holdings (UAL) 5.5%, Delta Air Lines (DAL) 4.6%). On return on invested capital, Delta Air Lines (DAL) leads (American Airlines (AAL) 3.6%, United Airlines Holdings (UAL) 8.9%, Delta Air Lines (DAL) 10.8%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Delta Air Lines (DAL) returned the most: American Airlines (AAL) -5.2%, United Airlines Holdings (UAL) +2.4%, Delta Air Lines (DAL) +30.6%. Over five years, United Airlines Holdings (UAL) compounded fastest (American Airlines (AAL) -8.8%/yr, United Airlines Holdings (UAL) +16.0%/yr, Delta Air Lines (DAL) +14.1%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Delta Air Lines (DAL) has been the steadiest (American Airlines (AAL) 47.7%, United Airlines Holdings (UAL) 48.1%, Delta Air Lines (DAL) 38.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, AAL, UAL and DAL?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Delta Air Lines (DAL) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.