RYAAY vs UAL vs AERO Stock Comparison

Ryanair Holdings, United Airlines Holdings and Grupo Aeromexico, S.A.B. de C.V Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
RYAAY Ryanair Holdings Plc
$52.31 -5.1% 1M -14.7% 1Y
Market cap
$27.30B
P/E
13.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$18.19B
Div. yield
2.57%
Airlines Industrials
7 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Ryanair Holdings leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Ryanair Holdings 7, United Airlines Holdings 4). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionRYAAYUALAEROLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $27.30B $33.60B $2.22B UAL
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 13.3x 9.4x 13.9x UAL
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 14.6x 14.7x 43.5x RYAAY
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +13.3% +12.3% +8.8% RYAAY
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 11.4% 5.5% 3.6% RYAAY
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 16.9% 8.9% — RYAAY
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -0.7x 1.5x -0.4x RYAAY
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 2.57% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -14.7% +8.9% — UAL
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +2.9%/yr +17.5%/yr — UAL
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 36.5% 48.0% 54.3% RYAAY
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 63/100 49/100 58/100 RYAAY

Percentile Scorecard

RYAAYUALAERO

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

AxisRYAAYUALAERO
Valuation 59 #56 of 136 75 #35 of 136 98 #4 of 136
Growth 50 #61 of 122 48 #64 of 122 16 #103 of 122
Profitability 83 #21 of 116 51 #57 of 116 55 #53 of 116
Financial Health 73 #39 of 143 22 #112 of 143 65 #51 of 143
Shareholder Returns 48 #43 of 81 – –
Overall 63 49 58
  • RYAAY ranked among 150 companies in Transportation
  • UAL ranked among 150 companies in Transportation
  • AERO ranked among 150 companies in Transportation

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodRYAAYUALAEROSPY
1 month -5.1%-7.2%-2.9% +0.9%
3 months -9.6%-13.4%+1.3% +5.9%
6 months -3.0%+16.7%+1.8% +8.5%
Year to date -27.5%-7.5%-30.6% +13.3%
1 year -14.7%+8.9%— +12.4%
3 years +46.6%+205.1%— +88.1%
3 years, per year +13.6%+45.1%— +23.5%
5 years +15.2%+124.2%— +68.2%
5 years, per year +2.9%+17.5%— +11.0%
10 years +73.9%+87.7%— +263.4%
10 years, per year +5.7%+6.5%— +13.8%

Risk

MeasureRYAAYUALAEROSPY
Volatility, 1Y 36.5%48.0%54.3% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 35.4%43.8%56.9% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.402.241.75 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.400.19— 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -54.9%-49.2%-46.0% -25.4%
From 52-week high -29.1%-24.0%-33.5% -0.9%
52-week high $73.82$136.11$22.91 $779.14
52-week low $51.33$85.21$12.36 $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.

MultipleRYAAYUALAERO
P/E now vs peer median 13.3xmedian 16.1x 9.4xmedian 16.1x 13.9xmedian 16.1x
P/S now vs peer median 1.5xmedian 0.9x 0.5xmedian 0.9x 0.5xmedian 0.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 6.0xmedian 8.6x 5.7xmedian 8.6x 1.4xmedian 8.6x
P/FCF now vs peer median 12.7xmedian 11.6x 30.1xmedian 11.6x 3.5xmedian 11.6x
P/B now vs peer median 2.5xmedian 1.2x 1.9xmedian 1.2x -3.7xmedian 1.2x
PEG now vs peer median 3.36median 0.80 1.14median 0.80 —median 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 monthsRYAAYUALAERO
Revenue $18.19B $65.55B $4.40B
Operating income $2.38B $4.92B $635.00M
Net income $2.21B $3.58B $120.00M
Free cash flow $2.16B $1.12B $630.00M
EPS (diluted) $3.90 $10.93 $1.09
Cash & equivalents $2.84B $6.65B $965.00M
Total debt $4.75B $26.40B $475.00M
Shares (diluted) 532.20M 327.40M 145.90M
Enterprise value $10.95B -$24.09B -$1.85B

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
MetricRYAAYUALAERO
P/E 13.3x 9.4x 13.9x
P/FCF 12.7x 30.1x 3.5x
P/Operating cash flow 6.8x 4.1x 3.5x
P/S 1.5x 0.5x 0.5x
P/B 2.5x 1.9x -3.7x
P/Tangible book 2.6x 2.2x -3.7x
EV/EBITDA 6.0x 5.7x 1.4x
EV/EBIT 10.3x 9.2x 2.7x
EV/Revenue 1.3x 0.7x 0.4x
EV/FCF 11.4x 40.6x 2.7x
EV/Operating cash flow 6.1x 5.6x 2.7x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 3.36 1.14 –

Growth

14 metrics
MetricRYAAYUALAERO
Revenue growth (1Y) 13.3% 12.3% 8.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 12.8% 7.7% –
Gross profit growth (1Y) – – –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – – –
Operating income growth (1Y) 0.5% 1.9% -2.6%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 6.2% 2.4% –
Net income growth (1Y) -4.6% 8.6% -38.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 6.1% 7.7% –
EPS growth (1Y) -13.5% 8.4% -43.3%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 4.0% 8.3% –
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -1.0% -12.9% –
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 0.1% -3.1% –
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -21.9% -69.9% –
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -7.4% -5.8% –

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricRYAAYUALAERO
Gross margin – – –
EBITDA margin 22.3% 12.2% 27.6%
Operating margin 13.1% 7.5% 14.4%
Pretax margin 13.4% 6.9% 5.5%
Net margin 11.4% 5.5% 3.6%
FCF margin 11.9% 1.7% 14.3%
Operating cash flow margin 22.1% 12.4% 14.3%
Return on equity 18.5% 20.8% –
Return on assets 9.6% 4.2% 2.9%
Return on invested capital 16.9% 8.9% –
Return on capital employed 18.7% 8.5% 10.0%
Asset turnover 0.8x 0.8x 0.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.8x 2.3x 5.3x
Stock comp / revenue 0.1% – –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricRYAAYUALAERO
Debt / assets 0.2% 31.0% 6.4%
Debt / equity 0.0x 1.5x -0.8x
Net debt / EBITDA -0.7x 1.5x -0.4x
Debt / FCF 0.0x 23.7x 0.8x
Liabilities / assets 47.8% 79.1% 108.0%
Equity / assets 52.2% 20.9% -8.0%
Interest coverage – 3.6x 5.8x
Current ratio 0.8x 0.8x 2.0x
Quick ratio 0.3x 0.6x 1.7x
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.6x 0.9x
Altman Z-score 3.35 1.37 –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricRYAAYUALAERO
Dividend yield 2.6% – –
Net buyback yield – – –
Shareholder yield 2.6% 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.

ConsensusRYAAYUALAERO
Forward P/E 14.6xFY2026 14.7xFY2026 43.5xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $3.58FY2026 $7.04FY2026 $0.35FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -24.8%FY2026 -33.7%FY2026 -85.5%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -6.1% +75.0% +408.6%
Revenue, next fiscal year $18.47BFY2026 $66.54BFY2026 $5.78BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +2.0%FY2026 +12.6%FY2026 +7.8%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after 0.0% +13.5% +15.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersRYAAYUALAERO
Held by institutions 39.9% 89.6% 65.1%
Institutions holding 410 1,066 75
Change in shares held, QoQ -0.8% +2.4% -1.5%
Institutions buying 192 568 32
Institutions selling 147 341 17
Buyers to sellers 1.31 1.67 1.88

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.

RYAAYUALAERO
RYAAY 1.00 0.60 0.45
UAL 0.60 1.00 0.52
AERO 0.45 0.52 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, RYAAY, UAL and AERO?

United Airlines Holdings (UAL) is the largest by market capitalisation: Ryanair Holdings (RYAAY) $27.30B, United Airlines Holdings (UAL) $33.60B, Grupo Aeromexico, S.A.B. de C.V (AERO) $2.22B.

Which stock is cheaper, RYAAY, UAL and AERO?

United Airlines Holdings (UAL) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Ryanair Holdings (RYAAY) 13.3x, United Airlines Holdings (UAL) 9.4x, Grupo Aeromexico, S.A.B. de C.V (AERO) 13.9x). On next year's consensus earnings, Ryanair Holdings (RYAAY) is cheapest (Ryanair Holdings (RYAAY) 14.6x, United Airlines Holdings (UAL) 14.7x, Grupo Aeromexico, S.A.B. de C.V (AERO) 43.5x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Ryanair Holdings (RYAAY) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Ryanair Holdings (RYAAY) +13.3%, United Airlines Holdings (UAL) +12.3%, Grupo Aeromexico, S.A.B. de C.V (AERO) +8.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

Ryanair Holdings (RYAAY) has the highest net margin (Ryanair Holdings (RYAAY) 11.4%, United Airlines Holdings (UAL) 5.5%, Grupo Aeromexico, S.A.B. de C.V (AERO) 3.6%). On return on invested capital, Ryanair Holdings (RYAAY) leads (Ryanair Holdings (RYAAY) 16.9%, United Airlines Holdings (UAL) 8.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year United Airlines Holdings (UAL) returned the most: Ryanair Holdings (RYAAY) -14.7%, United Airlines Holdings (UAL) +8.9%. Over five years, United Airlines Holdings (UAL) compounded fastest (Ryanair Holdings (RYAAY) +2.9%/yr, United Airlines Holdings (UAL) +17.5%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Ryanair Holdings (RYAAY) 2.57%, United Airlines Holdings (UAL) 0.00%, Grupo Aeromexico, S.A.B. de C.V (AERO) 0.00%. United Airlines Holdings (UAL) and Grupo Aeromexico, S.A.B. de C.V (AERO) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Ryanair Holdings (RYAAY) has been the steadiest (Ryanair Holdings (RYAAY) 36.5%, United Airlines Holdings (UAL) 48.0%, Grupo Aeromexico, S.A.B. de C.V (AERO) 54.3%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, RYAAY, UAL and AERO?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Ryanair Holdings (RYAAY) leads on 7. 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.