AAL vs. UAL

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL) and United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (UAL).

Performance

AAL vs. UAL - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL) and United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (UAL). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

AAL vs. UAL - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
AAL American Airlines Group Inc.	-29.94%	-12.05%	26.86%	8.02%	-29.18%	13.89%	-44.81%	-9.57%	-37.69%	12.40%
UAL United Airlines Holdings, Inc.	-17.66%	15.16%	135.34%	9.44%	-13.89%	1.23%	-50.90%	5.21%	24.23%	-7.52%

Fundamentals

Market Cap AAL : $7.11B UAL : $30.11B
EPS AAL : $0.17 UAL : $10.25
PE Ratio AAL : 63.94 UAL : 8.98
PEG Ratio AAL : 0.55 UAL : 0.18
PS Ratio AAL : 0.13 UAL : 0.51
Total Revenue (TTM) AAL : $54.63B UAL : $59.07B
Gross Profit (TTM) AAL : $21.67B UAL : $37.88B
EBITDA (TTM) AAL : $3.77B UAL : $7.54B

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, AAL achieves a -29.94% return, which is significantly lower than UAL's -17.66% return. Over the past 10 years, AAL has underperformed UAL with an annualized return of -11.84%, while UAL has yielded a comparatively higher 4.96% annualized return.

AAL

• 1D: 5.50%
• 1M: -17.83%
• YTD: -29.94%
• 6M: -4.45%
• 1Y: 1.80%
• 3Y*: -10.04%
• 5Y*: -14.76%
• 10Y*: -11.84%

UAL

• 1D: 8.05%
• 1M: -13.39%
• YTD: -17.66%
• 6M: -4.59%
• 1Y: 33.34%
• 3Y*: 27.66%
• 5Y*: 9.75%
• 10Y*: 4.96%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

Return for Risk

AAL vs. UAL — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

AAL

AAL Risk / Return Rank: 42
AAL Sharpe Ratio Rank: 43
AAL Sortino Ratio Rank: 42
AAL Omega Ratio Rank: 42
AAL Calmar Ratio Rank: 43
AAL Martin Ratio Rank: 42

UAL

UAL Risk / Return Rank: 65
UAL Sharpe Ratio Rank: 63
UAL Sortino Ratio Rank: 63
UAL Omega Ratio Rank: 61
UAL Calmar Ratio Rank: 66
UAL Martin Ratio Rank: 70

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

AAL vs. UAL - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL) and United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (UAL). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	AAL	UAL	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.03	0.58	-0.55
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.46	1.25	-0.79
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.06	1.16	-0.10
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.01	1.13	-1.12
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	0.03	3.29	-3.26
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

AAL vs. UAL - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current AAL Sharpe Ratio is 0.03, which is lower than the UAL Sharpe Ratio of 0.58. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of AAL and UAL, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	AAL	UAL	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.03	0.58	-0.55
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	-0.31	0.20	-0.52
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	-0.23	0.10	-0.32
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	-0.04	0.09	-0.13

Correlation

The correlation between AAL and UAL is 0.77, which is considered to be high. That indicates a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Having highly-correlated positions in a portfolio may signal a lack of diversification, potentially leading to increased risk during market downturns.

Dividends

AAL vs. UAL - Dividend Comparison

Neither AAL nor UAL has paid dividends to shareholders.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
AAL American Airlines Group Inc.	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.63%	1.39%	1.25%	0.77%	0.86%	0.94%
UAL United Airlines Holdings, Inc.	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%

Drawdowns

AAL vs. UAL - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum AAL drawdown since its inception was -97.20%, roughly equal to the maximum UAL drawdown of -93.50%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for AAL and UAL.

Drawdown Indicators

	AAL	UAL	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-97.20%	-93.50%	-3.70%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-37.39%	-27.50%	-9.89%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-64.87%	-49.19%	-15.68%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-84.14%	-79.40%	-4.74%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-81.90%	-21.66%	-60.24%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-60.26%	-37.44%	-22.82%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	13.01%	9.46%	+3.55%

Volatility

AAL vs. UAL - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL) is 13.57%, while United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (UAL) has a volatility of 16.13%. This indicates that AAL experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than UAL based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	AAL	UAL	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	13.57%	16.13%	-2.56%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	33.21%	34.59%	-1.38%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	55.29%	57.42%	-2.13%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	47.68%	48.00%	-0.32%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	52.70%	51.49%	+1.21%

Financials

AAL vs. UAL - Profitability Comparison

The chart below illustrates the profitability comparison between American Airlines Group Inc. and United Airlines Holdings, Inc. over time, highlighting three key metrics: Gross Profit Margin, Operating Margin, and Net Profit Margin.

AAL - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, American Airlines Group Inc. reported a gross profit of 14.00B and revenue of 14.00B. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 100.0%.

UAL - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, United Airlines Holdings, Inc. reported a gross profit of 9.88B and revenue of 15.40B. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 64.1%.

AAL - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, American Airlines Group Inc. reported an operating income of 451.00M and revenue of 14.00B, resulting in an operating margin of 3.2%.

UAL - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, United Airlines Holdings, Inc. reported an operating income of 1.39B and revenue of 15.40B, resulting in an operating margin of 9.0%.

AAL - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, American Airlines Group Inc. reported a net income of 99.00M and revenue of 14.00B, resulting in a net margin of 0.7%.

UAL - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, United Airlines Holdings, Inc. reported a net income of 1.04B and revenue of 15.40B, resulting in a net margin of 6.8%.