UAL vs AAL vs PREM Stock Comparison

United Airlines Holdings, American Airlines and Premier Air Charter Holdings Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group

Head to Head

9 decided of 12

United Airlines Holdings leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (United Airlines Holdings 6, Premier Air Charter Holdings 2, American Airlines 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionUALAALPREMLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $32.71B $8.08B $5.62M UAL
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 9.1x -24.8x -1.4x –
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 13.2x — — –
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +12.3% +7.5% +39.0% PREM
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 5.5% -0.6% -12.9% UAL
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 8.9% 3.6% — UAL
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.5x 7.6x -9.0x PREM
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +1.4% -11.5% -33.3% UAL
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +17.1%/yr -8.5%/yr -56.6%/yr UAL
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 48.1% 47.1% 290.0% AAL
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 38/100 20/100 12/100 UAL

Percentile Scorecard

UALAALPREM

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

AxisUALAALPREM
Valuation 62 #32 of 82 58 #35 of 82 11 #73 of 82
Growth 41 #42 of 70 7 #65 of 70 25 #53 of 70
Profitability 31 #46 of 66 12 #58 of 66 8 #61 of 66
Financial Health 18 #75 of 91 4 #87 of 91 6 #86 of 91
Shareholder Returns – – –
Overall 38 20 12
  • UAL ranked among 93 companies in Transportation
  • AAL ranked among 93 companies in Transportation
  • PREM ranked among 93 companies in Transportation

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodUALAALPREMSPY
1 month -11.7%-12.0%-33.3% -0.8%
3 months -16.5%-18.4%-66.7% +3.5%
6 months +9.6%+4.5%-66.7% +7.0%
Year to date -10.0%-20.4%-33.3% +12.2%
1 year +1.4%-11.5%-33.3% +13.0%
3 years +197.0%+11.7%-50.0% +86.3%
3 years, per year +43.8%+3.8%-20.6% +23.1%
5 years +119.8%-35.9%-98.5% +68.6%
5 years, per year +17.1%-8.5%-56.6% +11.0%
10 years +86.5%-69.0%— +258.0%
10 years, per year +6.4%-11.0%— +13.6%

Risk

MeasureUALAALPREMSPY
Volatility, 1Y 48.1%47.1%290.0% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 44.1%45.8%456.0% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 2.231.920.91 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.03-0.24-0.11 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -49.2%-59.3%-98.7% -25.4%
From 52-week high -26.0%-32.8%-75.0% -1.8%
52-week high $136.11$18.15$0.08 $779.14
52-week low $85.21$10.18$0.02 $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.

MultipleUALAALPREM
P/E now vs peer median 9.1xmedian 10.7x -24.8xmedian 10.7x -1.4xmedian 10.7x
P/S now vs peer median 0.5xmedian 1.2x 0.1xmedian 1.2x 0.2xmedian 1.2x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 5.6xmedian 6.6x 10.4xmedian 6.6x -20.9xmedian 6.6x
P/FCF now vs peer median 29.3xmedian 7.1x 28.3xmedian 7.1x -2.9xmedian 7.1x
P/B now vs peer median 1.8xmedian 0.9x -2.0xmedian 0.9x 3.7xmedian 0.9x
PEG now vs peer median 1.11median 0.68 0.86median 0.68 -0.04median 0.68

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 monthsUALAALPREM
Revenue $65.55B $58.34B $31.56M
Gross profit – – $3.52M
Operating income $4.92B $1.01B -$2.66M
Net income $3.58B -$326.00M -$4.09M
Free cash flow $1.12B $285.00M -$1.96M
EPS (diluted) $10.93 $-0.49 $-0.01
Cash & equivalents $6.65B – $156.50K
Total debt $26.40B $28.93B $16.78M
Shares (diluted) 327.40M 662.61M 280.85M
Enterprise value -$24.98B -$15.96B $4.89M

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
MetricUALAALPREM
P/E 9.1x -24.8x -1.4x
P/FCF 29.3x 28.3x -2.9x
P/Operating cash flow 4.0x 1.8x 35.7x
P/S 0.5x 0.1x 0.2x
P/B 1.8x -2.0x 3.7x
P/Tangible book 2.2x -1.3x 3.7x
EV/EBITDA 5.6x 10.4x -20.9x
EV/EBIT 9.0x 30.0x -3.7x
EV/Revenue 0.7x 0.5x 0.3x
EV/FCF 39.8x 106.2x -5.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 5.4x 6.9x 62.5x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.11 0.86 -0.04

Growth

14 metrics
MetricUALAALPREM
Revenue growth (1Y) 12.3% 7.5% 39.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 7.7% 3.3% –
Gross profit growth (1Y) – – 367.3%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – – –
Operating income growth (1Y) 1.9% -51.7% -1.1%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 2.4% -41.0% -95.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 8.6% -157.5% -18.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 7.7% -28.5% -87.6%
EPS growth (1Y) 8.4% -157.3% -4.9%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 8.3% -28.8% 34.8%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -12.9% 6.8% -93.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -3.1% 0.2% 46.0%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -69.9% -81.8% -530.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -5.8% -47.4% -140.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricUALAALPREM
Gross margin – – 11.2%
EBITDA margin 12.2% 5.0% -1.5%
Operating margin 7.5% 1.7% -8.4%
Pretax margin 6.9% -0.6% -13.5%
Net margin 5.5% -0.6% -12.9%
FCF margin 1.7% 0.5% -6.2%
Operating cash flow margin 12.4% 7.5% 0.5%
Return on equity 20.8% – -195.7%
Return on assets 4.2% -0.5% -10.9%
Return on invested capital 8.9% 3.6% –
Return on capital employed 8.5% 2.7% -15.1%
Asset turnover 0.8x 0.9x 0.8x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.3x -13.4x 0.0x
Stock comp / revenue – – 0.1%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricUALAALPREM
Debt / assets 31.0% 45.0% 11.2%
Debt / equity 1.5x -7.3x 2.9x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.5x 7.6x -9.0x
Debt / FCF 23.7x 101.5x -2.2x
Liabilities / assets 79.1% 106.2% 96.1%
Equity / assets 20.9% -6.2% 3.9%
Interest coverage 3.6x 0.6x -1.7x
Current ratio 0.8x 0.5x 0.2x
Quick ratio 0.6x 0.7x 0.2x
Cash ratio 0.6x 0.3x 0.0x
Altman Z-score 1.37 0.64 -0.11

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricUALAALPREM
Dividend yield – – –
Net buyback yield – – –
Shareholder yield 0.0% 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.

ConsensusUALAALPREM
Forward P/E 13.2xFY2026 – –
EPS, next fiscal year $7.61FY2026 $-0.99FY2026 –
EPS growth, next FY -28.3%FY2026 -375.0%FY2026 –
EPS growth, the year after +69.9% – –
Revenue, next fiscal year $66.36BFY2026 $59.52BFY2026 –
Revenue growth, next FY +12.3%FY2026 +9.0%FY2026 –
Revenue growth, the year after +12.6% +7.1% –

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersUALAALPREM
Held by institutions 89.6% 78.0% –
Institutions holding 1,066 578 –
Change in shares held, QoQ +2.4% +16.5% –
Institutions buying 568 276 –
Institutions selling 341 182 –
Buyers to sellers 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.

UALAALPREM
UAL 1.00 0.84 -0.06
AAL 0.84 1.00 0.01
PREM -0.06 0.01 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, UAL, AAL and PREM?

United Airlines Holdings (UAL) is the largest by market capitalisation: United Airlines Holdings (UAL) $32.71B, American Airlines (AAL) $8.08B, Premier Air Charter Holdings (PREM) $5.62M.

Which company is growing faster?

Premier Air Charter Holdings (PREM) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: United Airlines Holdings (UAL) +12.3%, American Airlines (AAL) +7.5%, Premier Air Charter Holdings (PREM) +39.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

United Airlines Holdings (UAL) has the highest net margin (United Airlines Holdings (UAL) 5.5%, American Airlines (AAL) -0.6%, Premier Air Charter Holdings (PREM) -12.9%). On return on invested capital, United Airlines Holdings (UAL) leads (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: United Airlines Holdings (UAL) +1.4%, American Airlines (AAL) -11.5%, Premier Air Charter Holdings (PREM) -33.3%. Over five years, United Airlines Holdings (UAL) compounded fastest (United Airlines Holdings (UAL) +17.1%/yr, American Airlines (AAL) -8.5%/yr, Premier Air Charter Holdings (PREM) -56.6%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, American Airlines (AAL) has been the steadiest (United Airlines Holdings (UAL) 48.1%, American Airlines (AAL) 47.1%, Premier Air Charter Holdings (PREM) 290.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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 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.