CPA vs LUV vs VLRS Stock Comparison

Copa Holdings, Southwest Airlines and Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, S.A.B. de C.V Prices as of Oct 29, 2026 Peers: Industry group
CPA Copa Holdings, S.A.
$131.28 -1.3% 1M +6.0% 1Y
Market cap
$5.40B
P/E
8.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$3.99B
Div. yield
5.13%
Airlines Industrials
8 wins
LUV Southwest Airlines Co
$43.70 +3.9% 1M +42.5% 1Y
Market cap
$21.40B
P/E
20.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$31.55B
Div. yield
1.65%
Airlines Industrials
2 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Copa Holdings leads on 8 of the 12 questions below (Copa Holdings 8, Southwest Airlines 2, Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, S.A.B. de C.V 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCPALUVVLRSLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $5.40B $21.40B $877.72M LUV
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 8.6x 20.3x -3.2x CPA
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 9.3x 16.8x — CPA
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +14.8% +14.5% +22.0% VLRS
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 15.7% 3.3% -13.8% CPA
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 15.3% 8.2% 5.5% CPA
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.9x 0.8x -2.9x VLRS
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 5.13% 1.65% — CPA
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +6.0% +42.5% -3.1% LUV
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +12.2%/yr -1.6%/yr -19.3%/yr CPA
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 42.8% 43.3% 51.3% CPA
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 65/100 58/100 32/100 CPA

Percentile Scorecard

CPALUVVLRS

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

AxisCPALUVVLRS
Valuation 61 #54 of 136 49 #70 of 136 42 #80 of 136
Growth 63 #45 of 121 88 #15 of 121 27 #89 of 121
Profitability 78 #25 of 112 44 #63 of 112 27 #82 of 112
Financial Health 48 #73 of 140 32 #96 of 140 32 #95 of 140
Shareholder Returns 73 #22 of 80 79 #18 of 80 –
Overall 65 58 32
  • CPA ranked among 150 companies in Transportation
  • LUV ranked among 150 companies in Transportation
  • VLRS ranked among 150 companies in Transportation

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodCPALUVVLRSSPY
1 month -1.3%+3.9%-7.6% +0.7%
3 months -7.8%-4.2%-22.1% +3.7%
6 months +13.5%+15.2%-16.3% +7.1%
Year to date +8.8%+5.7%-30.2% +12.8%
1 year +6.0%+42.5%-3.1% +11.9%
3 years +61.2%+94.1%+2.0% +85.2%
3 years, per year +17.3%+24.8%+0.7% +22.8%
5 years +77.5%-7.6%-65.7% +67.6%
5 years, per year +12.2%-1.6%-19.3% +10.9%
10 years +41.8%+11.5%-66.8% +262.0%
10 years, per year +3.6%+1.1%-10.5% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureCPALUVVLRSSPY
Volatility, 1Y 42.8%43.3%51.3% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 40.4%38.2%47.3% 12.6%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.821.611.99 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.140.98-0.06 0.94
Max drawdown, 5Y -42.5%-57.4%-82.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -16.5%-20.3%-41.7% -1.2%
52-week high $157.19$54.80$10.63 $779.14
52-week low $107.81$29.67$5.58 $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.

MultipleCPALUVVLRS
P/E now vs peer median 8.6xmedian 16.5x 20.3xmedian 16.5x -3.2xmedian 16.5x
P/S now vs peer median 1.4xmedian 0.9x 0.7xmedian 0.9x 0.6xmedian 0.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 5.5xmedian 8.8x 8.0xmedian 8.8x 1.0xmedian 8.8x
P/FCF now vs peer median —median 11.9x -47.7xmedian 11.9x 0.9xmedian 11.9x
P/B now vs peer median 1.9xmedian 1.2x 2.9xmedian 1.2x 20.9xmedian 1.2x
PEG now vs peer median 1.46median 0.84 0.51median 0.84 0.15median 0.84

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 monthsCPALUVVLRS
Revenue $3.99B $31.55B $1.59B
Operating income $772.19M $1.39B $14.00M
Net income $626.62M $1.05B -$336.00M
Free cash flow – -$449.00M $1.01B
EPS (diluted) $15.19 $2.13 $-1.91
Cash & equivalents $266.83M $3.62B $803.00M
Total debt $7.93B $5.89B $165.00M
Shares (diluted) 41.26M 494.00M 114.92M
Enterprise value $474.09M $7.42B -$2.31B

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
MetricCPALUVVLRS
P/E 8.6x 20.3x -3.2x
P/FCF – -47.7x 0.9x
P/Operating cash flow – 7.8x 0.9x
P/S 1.4x 0.7x 0.6x
P/B 1.9x 2.9x 20.9x
P/Tangible book 2.0x 2.9x -877.7x
EV/EBITDA 5.5x 8.0x 1.0x
EV/EBIT 8.3x 17.1x 15.7x
EV/Revenue 1.6x 0.7x 0.1x
EV/FCF – -52.7x 0.2x
EV/Operating cash flow – 8.6x 0.2x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.46 0.51 0.15

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCPALUVVLRS
Revenue growth (1Y) 14.8% 14.5% 22.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.7% 7.4% -1.7%
Gross profit growth (1Y) – – –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – – –
Operating income growth (1Y) -0.3% 339.7% -90.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 0.9% 78.6% -51.0%
Net income growth (1Y) -1.7% 177.8% -104.9%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 22.2% 28.4% -65.6%
EPS growth (1Y) -0.5% 195.8% -260.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 5.9% 40.0% -21.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) – 36.2% 25.2%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) – -6.0% 14.1%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) – -35.2% 25.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) – 20.2% 14.1%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCPALUVVLRS
Gross margin – – –
EBITDA margin 29.4% 9.4% 14.1%
Operating margin 19.4% 4.4% 0.9%
Pretax margin 18.0% 4.3% -17.5%
Net margin 15.7% 3.3% -13.8%
FCF margin – -1.4% 63.5%
Operating cash flow margin – 8.7% 63.5%
Return on equity 21.8% 14.6% -610.9%
Return on assets 8.9% 3.5% -5.8%
Return on invested capital 15.3% 8.2% 5.5%
Return on capital employed 14.4% 8.3% 0.4%
Asset turnover 0.6x 1.0x 0.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) – 2.6x -3.0x
Stock comp / revenue – – –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCPALUVVLRS
Debt / assets 31.8% 19.3% 2.8%
Debt / equity 0.8x 0.8x 3.9x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.9x 0.8x -2.9x
Debt / FCF – -13.1x 0.2x
Liabilities / assets 59.7% 76.0% 99.3%
Equity / assets 40.3% 24.0% 0.7%
Interest coverage 7.3x 5.9x 0.0x
Current ratio 1.1x 0.5x 0.7x
Quick ratio 0.9x 0.4x 0.6x
Cash ratio 0.8x 0.3x 0.4x
Altman Z-score 2.22 2.22 0.13

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCPALUVVLRS
Dividend yield 5.1% 1.6% –
Net buyback yield – 5.8% –
Shareholder yield 5.1% 7.5% –
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.

ConsensusCPALUVVLRS
Forward P/E 9.3xFY2026 16.8xFY2026 –
EPS, next fiscal year $14.13FY2026 $2.60FY2026 $-1.93FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -13.2%FY2026 +179.6%FY2026 –
EPS growth, the year after +41.4% +58.8% –
Revenue, next fiscal year $4.72BFY2026 $31.34BFY2026 $3.52BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +30.3%FY2026 +11.7%FY2026 +15.7%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -4.7% +16.7% +6.2%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCPALUVVLRS
Held by institutions 62.4% 92.9% 28.4%
Institutions holding 321 931 75
Change in shares held, QoQ -4.3% +4.4% -2.1%
Institutions buying 187 477 32
Institutions selling 98 280 24
Buyers to sellers 1.91 1.70 1.33

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.

CPALUVVLRS
CPA 1.00 0.55 0.53
LUV 0.55 1.00 0.55
VLRS 0.53 0.55 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CPA, LUV and VLRS?

Southwest Airlines (LUV) is the largest by market capitalisation: Copa Holdings (CPA) $5.40B, Southwest Airlines (LUV) $21.40B, Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, S.A.B. de C.V (VLRS) $877.72M.

Which stock is cheaper, CPA, LUV and VLRS?

Copa Holdings (CPA) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Copa Holdings (CPA) 8.6x, Southwest Airlines (LUV) 20.3x, Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, S.A.B. de C.V (VLRS) -3.2x). On next year's consensus earnings, Copa Holdings (CPA) is cheapest (Copa Holdings (CPA) 9.3x, Southwest Airlines (LUV) 16.8x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, S.A.B. de C.V (VLRS) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Copa Holdings (CPA) +14.8%, Southwest Airlines (LUV) +14.5%, Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, S.A.B. de C.V (VLRS) +22.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Copa Holdings (CPA) has the highest net margin (Copa Holdings (CPA) 15.7%, Southwest Airlines (LUV) 3.3%, Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, S.A.B. de C.V (VLRS) -13.8%). On return on invested capital, Copa Holdings (CPA) leads (Copa Holdings (CPA) 15.3%, Southwest Airlines (LUV) 8.2%, Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, S.A.B. de C.V (VLRS) 5.5%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Southwest Airlines (LUV) returned the most: Copa Holdings (CPA) +6.0%, Southwest Airlines (LUV) +42.5%, Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, S.A.B. de C.V (VLRS) -3.1%. Over five years, Copa Holdings (CPA) compounded fastest (Copa Holdings (CPA) +12.2%/yr, Southwest Airlines (LUV) -1.6%/yr, Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, S.A.B. de C.V (VLRS) -19.3%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Copa Holdings (CPA) has the highest dividend yield: Copa Holdings (CPA) 5.13%, Southwest Airlines (LUV) 1.65%. Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, S.A.B. de C.V (VLRS) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Copa Holdings (CPA) has been the steadiest (Copa Holdings (CPA) 42.8%, Southwest Airlines (LUV) 43.3%, Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, S.A.B. de C.V (VLRS) 51.3%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, CPA, LUV and VLRS?

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