ALK vs UAL vs AAL Stock Comparison

Alaska Air, United Airlines Holdings and American Airlines Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group

Head to Head

9 decided of 12

United Airlines Holdings leads on 8 of the 12 questions below (United Airlines Holdings 8, American Airlines 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionALKUALAALLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $3.88B $32.72B $8.09B UAL
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only -22.2x 9.1x -24.8x –
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS — 12.5x — –
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +9.8% +12.3% +7.5% UAL
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months -1.2% 5.5% -0.6% UAL
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital -1.1% 8.9% 3.6% UAL
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 6.1x 1.5x 7.6x UAL
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -26.2% +2.4% -5.2% UAL
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -8.6%/yr +16.0%/yr -8.8%/yr UAL
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 52.3% 48.1% 47.7% AAL
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 40/100 49/100 29/100 UAL

Percentile Scorecard

ALKUALAAL

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

AxisALKUALAAL
Valuation 49 #70 of 136 74 #36 of 136 70 #41 of 136
Growth 20 #98 of 122 50 #61 of 122 14 #105 of 122
Profitability 20 #95 of 119 49 #61 of 119 24 #91 of 119
Financial Health 11 #131 of 147 21 #116 of 147 8 #136 of 147
Shareholder Returns 98 #3 of 84 – –
Overall 40 49 29
  • ALK ranked among 150 companies in Transportation
  • UAL ranked among 150 companies in Transportation
  • AAL ranked among 150 companies in Transportation

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodALKUALAALSPY
1 month -13.3%-11.6%-9.3% -1.0%
3 months -25.5%-17.2%-16.4% +2.9%
6 months -17.3%+5.3%+0.1% +6.4%
Year to date -31.6%-12.4%-21.0% +11.4%
1 year -26.2%+2.4%-5.2% +13.1%
3 years +8.0%+178.7%+8.0% +79.4%
3 years, per year +2.6%+40.8%+2.6% +21.5%
5 years -36.1%+109.6%-36.8% +67.7%
5 years, per year -8.6%+16.0%-8.8% +10.9%
10 years -53.9%+76.1%-69.6% +255.2%
10 years, per year -7.4%+5.8%-11.2% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureALKUALAALSPY
Volatility, 1Y 52.3%48.1%47.7% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 50.6%43.9%45.8% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 2.242.211.92 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.500.05-0.11 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -56.2%-49.2%-59.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -42.9%-28.1%-33.3% -2.5%
52-week high $60.21$136.11$18.15 $779.14
52-week low $33.56$85.21$10.18 $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.

MultipleALKUALAAL
P/E now vs peer median -21.8xmedian 16.0x 8.9xmedian 16.0x -24.6xmedian 16.0x
P/S now vs peer median 0.3xmedian 1.0x 0.5xmedian 1.0x 0.1xmedian 1.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 12.6xmedian 8.7x 5.5xmedian 8.7x 10.4xmedian 8.7x
P/FCF now vs peer median -11.0xmedian 11.5x 28.5xmedian 11.5x 28.1xmedian 11.5x
P/B now vs peer median 1.0xmedian 1.2x 1.8xmedian 1.2x -2.0xmedian 1.2x
PEG now vs peer median 0.45median 0.82 1.07median 0.82 0.86median 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 monthsALKUALAAL
Revenue $14.76B $65.55B $58.34B
Operating income -$224.00M $4.92B $1.01B
Net income -$175.00M $3.58B -$326.00M
Free cash flow -$350.00M $1.12B $285.00M
EPS (diluted) $-1.57 $10.93 $-0.49
Cash & equivalents $1.06B $6.65B –
Total debt $6.24B $26.40B $28.93B
Shares (diluted) 111.13M 327.40M 662.61M
Enterprise value -$3.94B -$24.97B -$15.95B

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
MetricALKUALAAL
P/E -21.8x 8.9x -24.6x
P/FCF -11.0x 28.5x 28.1x
P/Operating cash flow 3.8x 3.9x 1.8x
P/S 0.3x 0.5x 0.1x
P/B 1.0x 1.8x -2.0x
P/Tangible book 1.3x 2.1x -1.3x
EV/EBITDA 12.6x 5.5x 10.4x
EV/EBIT -33.1x 8.8x 30.0x
EV/Revenue 0.5x 0.7x 0.5x
EV/FCF -21.2x 39.0x 106.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 7.3x 5.3x 6.9x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.45 1.07 0.86

Growth

14 metrics
MetricALKUALAAL
Revenue growth (1Y) 9.8% 12.3% 7.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 12.6% 7.7% 3.3%
Gross profit growth (1Y) – – –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – – –
Operating income growth (1Y) -145.3% 1.9% -51.7%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -43.4% 2.4% -41.0%
Net income growth (1Y) -155.9% 8.6% -157.5%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -45.7% 7.7% -28.5%
EPS growth (1Y) -160.8% 8.4% -157.3%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -48.4% 8.3% -28.8%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -28.5% -12.9% 6.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 0.2% -3.1% 0.2%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 9.8% -69.9% -81.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 19.0% -5.8% -47.4%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricALKUALAAL
Gross margin – – –
EBITDA margin 4.0% 12.2% 5.0%
Operating margin -1.5% 7.5% 1.7%
Pretax margin -2.6% 6.9% -0.6%
Net margin -1.2% 5.5% -0.6%
FCF margin -2.4% 1.7% 0.5%
Operating cash flow margin 6.9% 12.4% 7.5%
Return on equity -4.7% 20.8% –
Return on assets -0.8% 4.2% -0.5%
Return on invested capital -1.1% 8.9% 3.6%
Return on capital employed -1.6% 8.5% 2.7%
Asset turnover 0.7x 0.8x 0.9x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) -5.8x 2.3x -13.4x
Stock comp / revenue 0.3% – –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricALKUALAAL
Debt / assets 29.3% 31.0% 45.0%
Debt / equity 1.7x 1.5x -7.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 6.1x 1.5x 7.6x
Debt / FCF -17.8x 23.7x 101.5x
Liabilities / assets 82.7% 79.1% 106.2%
Equity / assets 17.3% 20.9% -6.2%
Interest coverage -0.7x 3.6x 0.6x
Current ratio 0.5x 0.8x 0.5x
Quick ratio 0.5x 0.6x 0.7x
Cash ratio 0.4x 0.6x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 0.92 1.36 0.64

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricALKUALAAL
Dividend yield – – –
Net buyback yield 7.4% – –
Shareholder yield 7.4% 0.0% 0.0%
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.

ConsensusALKUALAAL
Forward P/E – 12.5xFY2026 –
EPS, next fiscal year $-3.57FY2026 $7.85FY2026 $-0.99FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -246.3%FY2026 -26.1%FY2026 -375.0%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after – +68.2% –
Revenue, next fiscal year $15.35BFY2026 $66.26BFY2026 $59.52BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +7.8%FY2026 +12.2%FY2026 +9.0%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +8.7% +12.3% +7.1%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersALKUALAAL
Held by institutions 92.1% 89.6% 78.0%
Institutions holding 490 1,066 578
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.0% +2.4% +16.5%
Institutions buying 265 568 276
Institutions selling 146 341 182
Buyers to sellers 1.82 1.67 1.52

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.

ALKUALAAL
ALK 1.00 0.82 0.78
UAL 0.82 1.00 0.84
AAL 0.78 0.84 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ALK, UAL and AAL?

United Airlines Holdings (UAL) is the largest by market capitalisation: Alaska Air (ALK) $3.88B, United Airlines Holdings (UAL) $32.72B, American Airlines (AAL) $8.09B.

Which company is growing faster?

United Airlines Holdings (UAL) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Alaska Air (ALK) +9.8%, United Airlines Holdings (UAL) +12.3%, American Airlines (AAL) +7.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

United Airlines Holdings (UAL) has the highest net margin (Alaska Air (ALK) -1.2%, United Airlines Holdings (UAL) 5.5%, American Airlines (AAL) -0.6%). On return on invested capital, United Airlines Holdings (UAL) leads (Alaska Air (ALK) -1.1%, United Airlines Holdings (UAL) 8.9%, American Airlines (AAL) 3.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year United Airlines Holdings (UAL) returned the most: Alaska Air (ALK) -26.2%, United Airlines Holdings (UAL) +2.4%, American Airlines (AAL) -5.2%. Over five years, United Airlines Holdings (UAL) compounded fastest (Alaska Air (ALK) -8.6%/yr, United Airlines Holdings (UAL) +16.0%/yr, American Airlines (AAL) -8.8%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, American Airlines (AAL) has been the steadiest (Alaska Air (ALK) 52.3%, United Airlines Holdings (UAL) 48.1%, American Airlines (AAL) 47.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, United Airlines Holdings (UAL) leads on 8. 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.