CMI vs. LUV: A Head-to-Head Stock Comparison

Updated on November 20, 2025

Here’s a clear look at CMI and LUV, comparing key factors like historical performance, profitability, financial strength, growth, dividend, and valuation.

Company Profile

Symbol	CMI	LUV
Company Name	Cummins Inc.	Southwest Airlines Co.
Country	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry	Machinery	Passenger Airlines
Market Capitalization	63.62 billion USD	17.00 billion USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	February 21, 1973	January 2, 1980
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Historical Performance

This chart compares the performance of CMI and LUV by tracking the growth of an initial $10,000 investment in each. Use the tabs to select the desired time period. Data is adjusted for dividends and splits.

CMI vs. LUV: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past one year.

Historical Performance at a Glance

Symbol	CMI	LUV
5-Day Price Return	-4.49%	0.49%
13-Week Price Return	15.82%	4.19%
26-Week Price Return	38.27%	4.89%
52-Week Price Return	26.28%	1.36%
Month-to-Date Return	5.70%	8.32%
Year-to-Date Return	32.71%	-2.38%
10-Day Avg. Volume	1.00M	8.72M
3-Month Avg. Volume	0.90M	9.81M
3-Month Volatility	28.11%	34.95%
Beta	1.12	1.18

Profitability

Return on Equity (TTM)

CMI

23.69%

Machinery Industry

Max: 30.85%
Q3: 19.99%
Median: 12.37%
Q1: 8.44%
Min: -7.69%

In the upper quartile for the Machinery industry, CMI’s Return on Equity of 23.69% signals a highly effective use of shareholder capital to drive profitability compared to most of its peers.

LUV

4.27%

Passenger Airlines Industry

Max: 51.60%
Q3: 26.80%
Median: 15.05%
Q1: 3.96%
Min: -19.21%

LUV’s Return on Equity of 4.27% is on par with the norm for the Passenger Airlines industry, indicating its profitability relative to shareholder equity is typical for the sector.

CMI vs. LUV: A comparison of their Return on Equity (TTM) against their respective Machinery and Passenger Airlines industry benchmarks.

Net Profit Margin (TTM)

CMI

7.94%

Machinery Industry

Max: 19.28%
Q3: 10.99%
Median: 7.89%
Q1: 5.16%
Min: -1.46%

CMI’s Net Profit Margin of 7.94% is aligned with the median group of its peers in the Machinery industry. This indicates its ability to convert revenue into profit is typical for the sector.

LUV

1.38%

Passenger Airlines Industry

Max: 18.35%
Q3: 8.99%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 2.19%
Min: -5.16%

Falling into the lower quartile for the Passenger Airlines industry, LUV’s Net Profit Margin of 1.38% indicates weaker profitability. This means the company retains a smaller portion of each dollar in sales as profit compared to its competitors.

CMI vs. LUV: A comparison of their Net Profit Margin (TTM) against their respective Machinery and Passenger Airlines industry benchmarks.

Operating Profit Margin (TTM)

CMI

11.74%

Machinery Industry

Max: 27.20%
Q3: 15.91%
Median: 11.33%
Q1: 7.73%
Min: 0.23%

CMI’s Operating Profit Margin of 11.74% is around the midpoint for the Machinery industry, indicating that its efficiency in managing core business operations is typical for the sector.

LUV

1.14%

Passenger Airlines Industry

Max: 22.11%
Q3: 12.67%
Median: 8.27%
Q1: 4.07%
Min: -2.77%

LUV’s Operating Profit Margin of 1.14% is in the lower quartile for the Passenger Airlines industry. This indicates weaker profitability from core operations, which may stem from inefficiencies or competitive pressures on pricing.

CMI vs. LUV: A comparison of their Operating Profit Margin (TTM) against their respective Machinery and Passenger Airlines industry benchmarks.

Profitability at a Glance

Symbol	CMI	LUV
Return on Equity (TTM)	23.69%	4.27%
Return on Assets (TTM)	8.09%	1.22%
Net Profit Margin (TTM)	7.94%	1.38%
Operating Profit Margin (TTM)	11.74%	1.14%
Gross Profit Margin (TTM)	25.94%	73.50%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

CMI

1.77

Machinery Industry

Max: 3.27
Q3: 2.16
Median: 1.75
Q1: 1.32
Min: 0.70

CMI’s Current Ratio of 1.77 aligns with the median group of the Machinery industry, indicating that its short-term liquidity is in line with its sector peers.

LUV

0.49

Passenger Airlines Industry

Max: 1.46
Q3: 0.91
Median: 0.68
Q1: 0.51
Min: 0.19

LUV’s Current Ratio of 0.49 falls into the lower quartile for the Passenger Airlines industry. This indicates a tighter liquidity situation and a more constrained capacity to handle short-term debt than many of its competitors.

CMI vs. LUV: A comparison of their Current Ratio (MRQ) against their respective Machinery and Passenger Airlines industry benchmarks.

Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ)

CMI

0.63

Machinery Industry

Max: 1.49
Q3: 0.75
Median: 0.45
Q1: 0.23
Min: 0.00

CMI’s Debt-to-Equity Ratio of 0.63 is typical for the Machinery industry, indicating its use of leverage is in line with the sector norm. This suggests a balanced approach to its capital structure.

LUV

0.53

Passenger Airlines Industry

Max: 10.23
Q3: 4.67
Median: 1.26
Q1: 0.81
Min: 0.00

Falling into the lower quartile for the Passenger Airlines industry, LUV’s Debt-to-Equity Ratio of 0.53 points to a conservative financing strategy. This results in lower financial risk but potentially limits strategic investments compared to more leveraged competitors.

CMI vs. LUV: A comparison of their Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ) against their respective Machinery and Passenger Airlines industry benchmarks.

Interest Coverage Ratio (TTM)

CMI

Machinery Industry

Max: 67.55
Q3: 36.46
Median: 13.55
Q1: 7.73
Min: -1.43

Interest Coverage Ratio data for CMI is currently unavailable.

LUV

9.27

Passenger Airlines Industry

Max: 22.60
Q3: 17.27
Median: 6.75
Q1: 1.94
Min: -8.55

LUV’s Interest Coverage Ratio of 9.27 is positioned comfortably within the norm for the Passenger Airlines industry, indicating a standard and healthy capacity to cover its interest payments.

CMI vs. LUV: A comparison of their Interest Coverage Ratio (TTM) against their respective Machinery and Passenger Airlines industry benchmarks.

Financial Strength at a Glance

Symbol	CMI	LUV
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.77	0.49
Quick Ratio (MRQ)	0.93	0.38
Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ)	0.63	0.53
Interest Coverage Ratio (TTM)	--	9.27

Growth

Revenue Growth

CMI vs. LUV: A side-by-side comparison of their Revenue Growth for the MRQ (YoY), TTM (YoY), 3-Year CAGR, and 5-Year CAGR periods.

EPS Growth

CMI vs. LUV: A side-by-side comparison of their EPS Growth for the MRQ (YoY), TTM (YoY), 3-Year CAGR, and 5-Year CAGR periods.

Dividend

Dividend Yield (TTM)

CMI

1.61%

Machinery Industry

Max: 4.98%
Q3: 2.83%
Median: 1.89%
Q1: 1.17%
Min: 0.00%

CMI’s Dividend Yield of 1.61% is consistent with its peers in the Machinery industry, providing a dividend return that is standard for its sector.

LUV

2.36%

Passenger Airlines Industry

Max: 7.00%
Q3: 3.61%
Median: 1.57%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

LUV’s Dividend Yield of 2.36% is consistent with its peers in the Passenger Airlines industry, providing a dividend return that is standard for its sector.

CMI vs. LUV: A comparison of their Dividend Yield (TTM) against their respective Machinery and Passenger Airlines industry benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

CMI

38.53%

Machinery Industry

Max: 209.29%
Q3: 102.41%
Median: 62.34%
Q1: 29.36%
Min: 0.00%

CMI’s Dividend Payout Ratio of 38.53% is within the typical range for the Machinery industry, suggesting a balanced approach between shareholder payouts and company reinvestment.

LUV

55.49%

Passenger Airlines Industry

Max: 93.13%
Q3: 51.43%
Median: 14.52%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

LUV’s Dividend Payout Ratio of 55.49% is in the upper quartile for the Passenger Airlines industry. This indicates a strong commitment to shareholder returns but also suggests that a smaller portion of earnings is retained for reinvestment compared to many peers.

CMI vs. LUV: A comparison of their Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM) against their respective Machinery and Passenger Airlines industry benchmarks.

Dividend at a Glance

Symbol	CMI	LUV
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.61%	2.36%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	38.53%	55.49%

Valuation

Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM)

CMI

23.93

Machinery Industry

Max: 46.28
Q3: 29.52
Median: 24.18
Q1: 16.92
Min: 7.99

CMI’s P/E Ratio of 23.93 is within the middle range for the Machinery industry. This suggests its valuation is in line with the sector average, representing neither a significant premium nor a discount compared to its peers.

LUV

44.78

Passenger Airlines Industry

Max: 13.99
Q3: 10.90
Median: 8.70
Q1: 6.40
Min: 2.58

At 44.78, LUV’s P/E Ratio is exceptionally high, exceeding the typical maximum for the Passenger Airlines industry. This suggests the stock may be significantly overvalued compared to its peers and implies high market expectations that could be difficult to meet.

CMI vs. LUV: A comparison of their Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM) against their respective Machinery and Passenger Airlines industry benchmarks.

Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM)

CMI

1.90

Machinery Industry

Max: 5.25
Q3: 2.82
Median: 1.74
Q1: 0.99
Min: 0.27

CMI’s P/S Ratio of 1.90 aligns with the market consensus for the Machinery industry. This suggests its valuation, based on sales, is seen as standard and is on par with its competitors.

LUV

0.62

Passenger Airlines Industry

Max: 1.48
Q3: 0.83
Median: 0.61
Q1: 0.37
Min: 0.08

LUV’s P/S Ratio of 0.62 aligns with the market consensus for the Passenger Airlines industry. This suggests its valuation, based on sales, is seen as standard and is on par with its competitors.

CMI vs. LUV: A comparison of their Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM) against their respective Machinery and Passenger Airlines industry benchmarks.

Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ)

CMI

4.82

Machinery Industry

Max: 7.18
Q3: 4.18
Median: 2.71
Q1: 1.54
Min: 0.52

CMI’s P/B Ratio of 4.82 is in the upper tier for the Machinery industry. This indicates that investors are paying a premium relative to the company’s net assets, a valuation that hinges on its ability to generate superior profits.

LUV

2.16

Passenger Airlines Industry

Max: 3.44
Q3: 3.03
Median: 2.07
Q1: 1.28
Min: 0.49

LUV’s P/B Ratio of 2.16 is within the conventional range for the Passenger Airlines industry. This shows a balanced market view, where the stock’s price is neither at a significant premium nor a discount to the book value of its peers.

CMI vs. LUV: A comparison of their Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ) against their respective Machinery and Passenger Airlines industry benchmarks.

Valuation at a Glance

Symbol	CMI	LUV
Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM)	23.93	44.78
Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM)	1.90	0.62
Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ)	4.82	2.16
Price-to-Free Cash Flow Ratio (TTM)	26.14	45.26