DAL vs BKNG vs AAL Stock Comparison

Delta Air Lines, Booking Holdings and American Airlines Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
DAL Delta Air Lines, Inc.
$80.36 -4.4% 1M +38.9% 1Y
Market cap
$53.39B
P/E
16.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$71.80B
Div. yield
–
Airlines Industrials
3 wins
BKNG Booking Holdings Inc.
$147.94 -9.7% 1M -27.8% 1Y
Market cap
$115.52B
P/E
16.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$28.24B
Div. yield
–
Digital Marketplaces Technology
8 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Booking Holdings leads on 8 of the 12 questions below (Booking Holdings 8, Delta Air Lines 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionDALBKNGAALLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $53.39B $115.52B $8.51B BKNG
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 16.2x 16.0x -26.1x BKNG
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 15.6x 13.6x — BKNG
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +14.1% +12.9% +7.5% DAL
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 4.6% 25.5% -0.6% BKNG
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 10.8% 75.5% 3.6% BKNG
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.3x 0.3x 7.6x BKNG
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +38.9% -27.8% -1.0% DAL
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +15.5%/yr +8.9%/yr -8.1%/yr DAL
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 38.4% 37.9% 46.8% BKNG
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 38/100 60/100 29/100 BKNG

Percentile Scorecard

DALBKNGAAL

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

AxisDALBKNGAAL
Valuation 65 #48 of 136 65 #59 of 166 70 #41 of 136
Growth 46 #67 of 122 38 #95 of 152 12 #108 of 122
Profitability 50 #59 of 116 100 #1 of 152 24 #89 of 116
Financial Health 23 #111 of 143 40 #107 of 179 9 #131 of 143
Shareholder Returns 9 #74 of 81 57 #41 of 94 –
Overall 38 60 29
  • DAL ranked among 150 companies in Transportation
  • BKNG ranked among 185 companies in Internet Platforms
  • AAL ranked among 150 companies in Transportation

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodDALBKNGAALSPY
1 month -4.4%-9.7%-7.0% +0.9%
3 months -6.9%-26.5%-15.2% +5.9%
6 months +21.3%-15.0%+11.2% +8.5%
Year to date +15.8%-30.9%-17.9% +13.3%
1 year +38.9%-27.8%-1.0% +12.4%
3 years +162.2%+34.7%+15.2% +88.1%
3 years, per year +37.9%+10.4%+4.8% +23.5%
5 years +105.4%+52.8%-34.5% +68.2%
5 years, per year +15.5%+8.9%-8.1% +11.0%
10 years +94.4%+150.8%-68.6% +263.4%
10 years, per year +6.9%+9.6%-10.9% +13.8%

Risk

MeasureDALBKNGAALSPY
Volatility, 1Y 38.4%37.9%46.8% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 33.8%38.0%45.2% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.730.841.93 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.01-0.73-0.02 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -48.0%-39.5%-59.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -14.2%-32.7%-30.7% -0.9%
52-week high $93.66$219.68$18.15 $779.14
52-week low $55.65$147.94$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.

MultipleDALBKNGAAL
P/E now vs peer median 16.0xmedian 16.1x 15.8xmedian 16.8x -25.6xmedian 16.1x
P/S now vs peer median 0.7xmedian 0.9x 3.9xmedian 1.4x 0.1xmedian 0.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 8.0xmedian 8.6x 11.6xmedian 13.9x 10.5xmedian 8.6x
P/FCF now vs peer median 17.5xmedian 11.6x 11.7xmedian 11.4x 29.2xmedian 11.6x
P/B now vs peer median 2.3xmedian 1.2x -10.3xmedian 1.8x -2.1xmedian 1.2x
PEG now vs peer median -8.62median 0.80 -0.27median 0.36 0.89median 0.80

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 monthsDALBKNGAAL
Revenue $71.80B $28.24B $58.34B
Operating income $5.29B $9.28B $1.01B
Net income $3.29B $7.21B -$326.00M
Free cash flow $3.02B $9.54B $285.00M
EPS (diluted) $4.99 $9.36 $-0.49
Cash & equivalents $3.79B $17.21B –
Total debt $13.95B $20.18B $28.93B
Shares (diluted) 659.00M 770.00M 662.61M
Enterprise value $35.57B $48.57B -$15.53B

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
MetricDALBKNGAAL
P/E 16.0x 15.8x -25.6x
P/FCF 17.5x 11.7x 29.2x
P/Operating cash flow 6.6x 11.3x 1.9x
P/S 0.7x 3.9x 0.1x
P/B 2.3x -10.3x -2.1x
P/Tangible book 3.2x -9.6x -1.4x
EV/EBITDA 8.0x 11.6x 10.5x
EV/EBIT 11.9x 12.3x 30.3x
EV/Revenue 0.9x 4.0x 0.5x
EV/FCF 20.9x 12.0x 107.1x
EV/Operating cash flow 7.9x 11.6x 7.0x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -8.62 -0.27 0.89

Growth

14 metrics
MetricDALBKNGAAL
Revenue growth (1Y) 14.1% 12.9% 7.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 7.8% 13.4% 3.3%
Gross profit growth (1Y) – – –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – – –
Operating income growth (1Y) -12.9% 12.9% -51.7%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -2.3% 15.3% -41.0%
Net income growth (1Y) -28.9% 49.8% -157.5%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -1.1% 17.4% -28.5%
EPS growth (1Y) -29.5% -93.7% -157.3%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -1.9% -57.3% -28.8%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 0.3% 2.9% 6.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 4.0% 13.2% 0.2%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -1.7% 3.2% -81.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 36.6% 13.9% -47.4%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricDALBKNGAAL
Gross margin – – –
EBITDA margin 11.0% 34.9% 5.0%
Operating margin 7.4% 32.9% 1.7%
Pretax margin 6.1% 32.9% -0.6%
Net margin 4.6% 25.5% -0.6%
FCF margin 4.2% 33.8% 0.5%
Operating cash flow margin 11.1% 34.9% 7.5%
Return on equity 14.8% – –
Return on assets 3.8% 25.1% -0.5%
Return on invested capital 10.8% 75.5% 3.6%
Return on capital employed 10.0% 121.7% 2.7%
Asset turnover 0.8x 1.0x 0.9x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.4x 1.4x -13.4x
Stock comp / revenue – 2.1% –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricDALBKNGAAL
Debt / assets 16.2% 68.0% 45.0%
Debt / equity 0.6x -1.9x -7.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.3x 0.3x 7.6x
Debt / FCF 4.6x 2.1x 101.5x
Liabilities / assets 73.8% 136.3% 106.2%
Equity / assets 26.2% -36.3% -6.2%
Interest coverage – 8.4x 0.6x
Current ratio 0.4x 1.1x 0.5x
Quick ratio 0.2x 1.0x 0.7x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.8x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 1.50 5.74 0.65

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricDALBKNGAAL
Dividend yield 1.0% 0.8% –
Net buyback yield – 9.5% –
Shareholder yield 1.0% 10.3% 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.

ConsensusDALBKNGAAL
Forward P/E 15.6xFY2026 13.6xFY2026 –
EPS, next fiscal year $5.14FY2026 $10.90FY2026 $-1.14FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -11.7%FY2026 +19.5%FY2026 -416.7%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +40.7% +16.7% –
Revenue, next fiscal year $71.03BFY2026 $27.56BFY2026 $59.78BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +21.9%FY2026 +2.4%FY2026 +9.4%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -4.2% +11.4% +8.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersDALBKNGAAL
Held by institutions 88.2% 92.9% 78.0%
Institutions holding 1,512 1,916 578
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.6% -9.6% +16.5%
Institutions buying 816 892 276
Institutions selling 483 828 182
Buyers to sellers 1.69 1.08 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.

DALBKNGAAL
DAL 1.00 0.36 0.85
BKNG 0.36 1.00 0.37
AAL 0.85 0.37 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, DAL, BKNG and AAL?

Booking Holdings (BKNG) is the largest by market capitalisation: Delta Air Lines (DAL) $53.39B, Booking Holdings (BKNG) $115.52B, American Airlines (AAL) $8.51B.

Which stock is cheaper, DAL, BKNG and AAL?

Booking Holdings (BKNG) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Delta Air Lines (DAL) 16.2x, Booking Holdings (BKNG) 16.0x, American Airlines (AAL) -26.1x). On next year's consensus earnings, Booking Holdings (BKNG) is cheapest (Delta Air Lines (DAL) 15.6x, Booking Holdings (BKNG) 13.6x). 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: Delta Air Lines (DAL) +14.1%, Booking Holdings (BKNG) +12.9%, American Airlines (AAL) +7.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Booking Holdings (BKNG) has the highest net margin (Delta Air Lines (DAL) 4.6%, Booking Holdings (BKNG) 25.5%, American Airlines (AAL) -0.6%). On return on invested capital, Booking Holdings (BKNG) leads (Delta Air Lines (DAL) 10.8%, Booking Holdings (BKNG) 75.5%, American Airlines (AAL) 3.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Delta Air Lines (DAL) returned the most: Delta Air Lines (DAL) +38.9%, Booking Holdings (BKNG) -27.8%, American Airlines (AAL) -1.0%. Over five years, Delta Air Lines (DAL) compounded fastest (Delta Air Lines (DAL) +15.5%/yr, Booking Holdings (BKNG) +8.9%/yr, American Airlines (AAL) -8.1%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Booking Holdings (BKNG) has been the steadiest (Delta Air Lines (DAL) 38.4%, Booking Holdings (BKNG) 37.9%, American Airlines (AAL) 46.8%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, DAL, BKNG 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, Booking Holdings (BKNG) 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.