DAL vs. UAL

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL) and United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (UAL).

Performance

DAL vs. UAL - Performance Comparison

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

DAL vs. UAL - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
DAL Delta Air Lines, Inc.	-3.95%	16.09%	52.00%	23.03%	-15.92%	-2.81%	-30.77%	20.38%	-8.66%	16.23%
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 DAL : $43.61B UAL : $30.11B
EPS DAL : $7.66 UAL : $10.25
PE Ratio DAL : 8.68 UAL : 8.98
PEG Ratio DAL : 0.05 UAL : 0.18
PS Ratio DAL : 0.69 UAL : 0.51
PB Ratio DAL : 2.10 UAL : 1.97
Total Revenue (TTM) DAL : $63.36B UAL : $59.07B
Gross Profit (TTM) DAL : $15.54B UAL : $37.88B
EBITDA (TTM) DAL : $9.63B UAL : $7.54B

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, DAL achieves a -3.95% return, which is significantly higher than UAL's -17.66% return. Both investments have delivered pretty close results over the past 10 years, with DAL having a 4.80% annualized return and UAL not far ahead at 4.96%.

DAL

• 1D: 5.21%
• 1M: 1.19%
• YTD: -3.95%
• 6M: 17.82%
• 1Y: 54.35%
• 3Y*: 25.19%
• 5Y*: 7.01%
• 10Y*: 4.80%

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

DAL vs. UAL — Risk / Return Rank

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

DAL

DAL Risk / Return Rank: 79
DAL Sharpe Ratio Rank: 77
DAL Sortino Ratio Rank: 77
DAL Omega Ratio Rank: 73
DAL Calmar Ratio Rank: 81
DAL Martin Ratio Rank: 84

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.

DAL vs. UAL - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL) 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.

	DAL	UAL	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.09	0.58	+0.51
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.90	1.25	+0.65
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.23	1.16	+0.07
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	2.34	1.13	+1.21
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	7.10	3.29	+3.81
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

DAL vs. UAL - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current DAL Sharpe Ratio is 1.09, which is higher than the UAL Sharpe Ratio of 0.58. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of DAL 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

	DAL	UAL	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.09	0.58	+0.51
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.17	0.20	-0.03
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.11	0.10	+0.02
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.14	0.09	+0.06

Correlation

The correlation between DAL and UAL is 0.81, 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

DAL vs. UAL - Dividend Comparison

DAL's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 1.07%, while UAL has not paid dividends to shareholders.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
DAL Delta Air Lines, Inc.	1.07%	0.97%	0.83%	0.50%	0.00%	0.00%	1.00%	2.57%	2.63%	1.81%	1.37%	0.89%
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

DAL vs. UAL - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum DAL drawdown since its inception was -81.73%, smaller than the maximum UAL drawdown of -93.50%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for DAL and UAL.

Drawdown Indicators

	DAL	UAL	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-81.73%	-93.50%	+11.77%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-22.90%	-27.50%	+4.60%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-47.92%	-49.19%	+1.27%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-69.18%	-79.40%	+10.22%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-11.53%	-21.66%	+10.13%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-29.16%	-37.44%	+8.28%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	7.53%	9.46%	-1.93%

Volatility

DAL vs. UAL - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL) is 13.56%, while United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (UAL) has a volatility of 16.13%. This indicates that DAL 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

	DAL	UAL	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	13.56%	16.13%	-2.57%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	29.63%	34.59%	-4.96%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	50.04%	57.42%	-7.38%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	40.49%	48.00%	-7.51%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	41.96%	51.49%	-9.53%

Financials

DAL vs. UAL - Profitability Comparison

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

DAL - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Delta Air Lines, Inc. reported a gross profit of 3.58B and revenue of 16.00B. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 22.4%.

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%.

DAL - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Delta Air Lines, Inc. reported an operating income of 1.47B and revenue of 16.00B, resulting in an operating margin of 9.2%.

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%.

DAL - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Delta Air Lines, Inc. reported a net income of 1.22B and revenue of 16.00B, resulting in a net margin of 7.6%.

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%.