LUV vs. VGT

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) and Vanguard Information Technology ETF (VGT).

VGT is a passively managed fund by Vanguard that tracks the performance of the MSCI US Investable Market Information Technology 25/50 Index. It was launched on Mar 25, 2004.

Performance

LUV vs. VGT - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) and Vanguard Information Technology ETF (VGT). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

LUV vs. VGT - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
LUV Southwest Airlines Co.	-7.10%	25.62%	19.11%	-11.82%	-21.41%	-8.09%	-13.32%	17.72%	-28.21%	32.40%
VGT Vanguard Information Technology ETF	-6.16%	21.77%	29.30%	52.66%	-29.70%	30.45%	46.04%	48.62%	2.46%	37.08%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, LUV achieves a -7.10% return, which is significantly lower than VGT's -6.16% return. Over the past 10 years, LUV has underperformed VGT with an annualized return of -0.33%, while VGT has yielded a comparatively higher 21.51% annualized return.

LUV

• 1D: 1.76%
• 1M: -20.46%
• YTD: -7.10%
• 6M: 19.46%
• 1Y: 23.46%
• 3Y*: 7.86%
• 5Y*: -7.61%
• 10Y*: -0.33%

VGT

• 1D: 1.28%
• 1M: -3.61%
• YTD: -6.16%
• 6M: -5.90%
• 1Y: 29.76%
• 3Y*: 23.10%
• 5Y*: 14.83%
• 10Y*: 21.51%

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

Return for Risk

LUV vs. VGT — Risk / Return Rank

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

LUV

LUV Risk / Return Rank: 55
LUV Sharpe Ratio Rank: 58
LUV Sortino Ratio Rank: 55
LUV Omega Ratio Rank: 55
LUV Calmar Ratio Rank: 52
LUV Martin Ratio Rank: 54

VGT

VGT Risk / Return Rank: 62
VGT Sharpe Ratio Rank: 60
VGT Sortino Ratio Rank: 63
VGT Omega Ratio Rank: 61
VGT Calmar Ratio Rank: 71
VGT Martin Ratio Rank: 57

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.

LUV vs. VGT - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) and Vanguard Information Technology ETF (VGT). 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.

	LUV	VGT	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.49	1.10	-0.61
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.03	1.67	-0.64
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.14	1.23	-0.09
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.48	1.88	-1.40
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	1.22	5.77	-4.55
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

LUV vs. VGT - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current LUV Sharpe Ratio is 0.49, which is lower than the VGT Sharpe Ratio of 1.10. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of LUV and VGT, 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

	LUV	VGT	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.49	1.10	-0.61
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	-0.20	0.59	-0.80
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	-0.01	0.88	-0.89
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.33	0.61	-0.28

Correlation

The correlation between LUV and VGT is 0.43, which is considered to be moderate. This suggests that the two assets have some degree of positive relationship in their price movements. Moderate correlation can be acceptable for portfolio diversification, offering a balance between risk and potential returns.

Dividends

LUV vs. VGT - Dividend Comparison

LUV's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 1.88%, more than VGT's 0.43% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
LUV Southwest Airlines Co.	1.88%	1.74%	2.14%	3.12%	0.00%	0.00%	0.39%	1.30%	1.30%	0.73%	0.75%	0.66%
VGT Vanguard Information Technology ETF	0.43%	0.40%	0.60%	0.65%	0.91%	0.64%	0.82%	1.11%	1.29%	0.99%	1.31%	1.28%

Drawdowns

LUV vs. VGT - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum LUV drawdown since its inception was -78.25%, which is greater than VGT's maximum drawdown of -54.63%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for LUV and VGT.

Drawdown Indicators

	LUV	VGT	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-78.25%	-54.63%	-23.62%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-33.49%	-16.40%	-17.09%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-64.57%	-35.07%	-29.50%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-64.76%	-35.07%	-29.69%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-35.97%	-11.66%	-24.31%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-29.12%	-8.00%	-21.12%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	13.25%	5.35%	+7.90%

Volatility

LUV vs. VGT - Volatility Comparison

Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) has a higher volatility of 15.94% compared to Vanguard Information Technology ETF (VGT) at 8.03%. This indicates that LUV's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than VGT based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	LUV	VGT	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	15.94%	8.03%	+7.91%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	33.35%	16.35%	+17.00%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	48.87%	27.27%	+21.60%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	37.64%	25.06%	+12.58%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	37.29%	24.48%	+12.81%