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

Updated on August 25, 2025

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

Company Profile

Symbol	LHX	LUV
Company Name	L3Harris Technologies, Inc.	Southwest Airlines Co.
Country	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry	Aerospace & Defense	Passenger Airlines
Market Capitalization	51.67 billion USD	17.21 billion USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	December 31, 1981	January 2, 1980
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Historical Performance

This chart compares the performance of LHX 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.

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

Historical Performance at a Glance

Symbol	LHX	LUV
5-Day Price Return	1.88%	4.66%
13-Week Price Return	19.56%	3.18%
26-Week Price Return	38.08%	9.23%
52-Week Price Return	19.82%	23.29%
Month-to-Date Return	0.48%	5.95%
Year-to-Date Return	31.32%	-2.53%
10-Day Avg. Volume	1.24M	7.37M
3-Month Avg. Volume	1.45M	11.58M
3-Month Volatility	17.88%	41.84%
Beta	0.76	1.23

Profitability

Return on Equity (TTM)

LHX

8.82%

Aerospace & Defense Industry

Max: 43.89%
Q3: 22.42%
Median: 12.50%
Q1: 5.21%
Min: -6.24%

LHX’s Return on Equity of 8.82% is on par with the norm for the Aerospace & Defense industry, indicating its profitability relative to shareholder equity is typical for the sector.

LUV

4.11%

Passenger Airlines Industry

Max: 49.96%
Q3: 28.15%
Median: 15.41%
Q1: 8.29%
Min: -11.01%

LUV’s Return on Equity of 4.11% is in the lower quartile for the Passenger Airlines industry. This indicates a less efficient generation of profit from its equity base when compared to its competitors.

LHX vs. LUV: A comparison of their Return on Equity (TTM) against their respective Aerospace & Defense and Passenger Airlines industry benchmarks.

Net Profit Margin (TTM)

LHX

7.94%

Aerospace & Defense Industry

Max: 14.54%
Q3: 8.08%
Median: 6.17%
Q1: 2.49%
Min: -1.63%

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

LUV

1.43%

Passenger Airlines Industry

Max: 17.65%
Q3: 8.90%
Median: 5.80%
Q1: 2.02%
Min: -3.12%

Falling into the lower quartile for the Passenger Airlines industry, LUV’s Net Profit Margin of 1.43% indicates weaker profitability. This means the company retains a smaller portion of each dollar in sales as profit compared to its competitors.

LHX vs. LUV: A comparison of their Net Profit Margin (TTM) against their respective Aerospace & Defense and Passenger Airlines industry benchmarks.

Operating Profit Margin (TTM)

LHX

10.11%

Aerospace & Defense Industry

Max: 16.63%
Q3: 10.38%
Median: 8.29%
Q1: 6.21%
Min: 0.95%

LHX’s Operating Profit Margin of 10.11% is around the midpoint for the Aerospace & Defense industry, indicating that its efficiency in managing core business operations is typical for the sector.

LUV

1.15%

Passenger Airlines Industry

Max: 22.47%
Q3: 12.33%
Median: 8.62%
Q1: 4.43%
Min: -2.88%

LUV’s Operating Profit Margin of 1.15% 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.

LHX vs. LUV: A comparison of their Operating Profit Margin (TTM) against their respective Aerospace & Defense and Passenger Airlines industry benchmarks.

Profitability at a Glance

Symbol	LHX	LUV
Return on Equity (TTM)	8.82%	4.11%
Return on Assets (TTM)	4.08%	1.20%
Net Profit Margin (TTM)	7.94%	1.43%
Operating Profit Margin (TTM)	10.11%	1.15%
Gross Profit Margin (TTM)	25.74%	73.31%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

LHX

1.04

Aerospace & Defense Industry

Max: 3.09
Q3: 1.98
Median: 1.23
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.02

LHX’s Current Ratio of 1.04 aligns with the median group of the Aerospace & Defense industry, indicating that its short-term liquidity is in line with its sector peers.

LUV

0.56

Passenger Airlines Industry

Max: 1.46
Q3: 0.94
Median: 0.76
Q1: 0.54
Min: 0.17

LUV’s Current Ratio of 0.56 aligns with the median group of the Passenger Airlines industry, indicating that its short-term liquidity is in line with its sector peers.

LHX vs. LUV: A comparison of their Current Ratio (MRQ) against their respective Aerospace & Defense and Passenger Airlines industry benchmarks.

Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ)

LHX

0.63

Aerospace & Defense Industry

Max: 1.70
Q3: 1.04
Median: 0.68
Q1: 0.41
Min: 0.00

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

LUV

0.51

Passenger Airlines Industry

Max: 9.80
Q3: 4.82
Median: 1.30
Q1: 0.89
Min: 0.00

Falling into the lower quartile for the Passenger Airlines industry, LUV’s Debt-to-Equity Ratio of 0.51 points to a conservative financing strategy. This results in lower financial risk but potentially limits strategic investments compared to more leveraged competitors.

LHX vs. LUV: A comparison of their Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ) against their respective Aerospace & Defense and Passenger Airlines industry benchmarks.

Interest Coverage Ratio (TTM)

LHX

3.37

Aerospace & Defense Industry

Max: 36.57
Q3: 19.90
Median: 7.04
Q1: 2.40
Min: -7.63

LHX’s Interest Coverage Ratio of 3.37 is positioned comfortably within the norm for the Aerospace & Defense industry, indicating a standard and healthy capacity to cover its interest payments.

LUV

9.27

Passenger Airlines Industry

Max: 22.60
Q3: 16.29
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.

LHX vs. LUV: A comparison of their Interest Coverage Ratio (TTM) against their respective Aerospace & Defense and Passenger Airlines industry benchmarks.

Financial Strength at a Glance

Symbol	LHX	LUV
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.04	0.56
Quick Ratio (MRQ)	0.87	0.45
Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ)	0.63	0.51
Interest Coverage Ratio (TTM)	3.37	9.27

Growth

Revenue Growth

LHX 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

LHX 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)

LHX

1.73%

Aerospace & Defense Industry

Max: 2.03%
Q3: 1.22%
Median: 0.43%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

With a Dividend Yield of 1.73%, LHX offers a more attractive income stream than most of its peers in the Aerospace & Defense industry, signaling a strong commitment to shareholder returns.

LUV

2.58%

Passenger Airlines Industry

Max: 6.71%
Q3: 3.95%
Median: 1.10%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

LUV’s Dividend Yield of 2.58% is consistent with its peers in the Passenger Airlines industry, providing a dividend return that is standard for its sector.

LHX vs. LUV: A comparison of their Dividend Yield (TTM) against their respective Aerospace & Defense and Passenger Airlines industry benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

LHX

52.68%

Aerospace & Defense Industry

Max: 83.87%
Q3: 49.90%
Median: 16.48%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

LHX’s Dividend Payout Ratio of 52.68% is in the upper quartile for the Aerospace & Defense 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.

LUV

59.15%

Passenger Airlines Industry

Max: 71.59%
Q3: 38.54%
Median: 8.16%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

LUV’s Dividend Payout Ratio of 59.15% 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.

LHX vs. LUV: A comparison of their Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM) against their respective Aerospace & Defense and Passenger Airlines industry benchmarks.

Dividend at a Glance

Symbol	LHX	LUV
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.73%	2.58%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	52.68%	59.15%

Valuation

Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM)

LHX

30.52

Aerospace & Defense Industry

Max: 65.97
Q3: 54.11
Median: 34.53
Q1: 23.66
Min: 0.00

LHX’s P/E Ratio of 30.52 is within the middle range for the Aerospace & Defense 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

42.24

Passenger Airlines Industry

Max: 13.29
Q3: 11.94
Median: 8.78
Q1: 7.42
Min: 3.07

At 42.24, 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.

LHX vs. LUV: A comparison of their Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM) against their respective Aerospace & Defense and Passenger Airlines industry benchmarks.

Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM)

LHX

2.42

Aerospace & Defense Industry

Max: 8.07
Q3: 4.49
Median: 2.42
Q1: 1.39
Min: 0.00

LHX’s P/S Ratio of 2.42 aligns with the market consensus for the Aerospace & Defense industry. This suggests its valuation, based on sales, is seen as standard and is on par with its competitors.

LUV

0.60

Passenger Airlines Industry

Max: 1.09
Q3: 0.74
Median: 0.61
Q1: 0.44
Min: 0.09

LUV’s P/S Ratio of 0.60 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.

LHX vs. LUV: A comparison of their Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM) against their respective Aerospace & Defense and Passenger Airlines industry benchmarks.

Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ)

LHX

2.40

Aerospace & Defense Industry

Max: 13.67
Q3: 7.92
Median: 4.65
Q1: 2.68
Min: 0.82

LHX’s P/B Ratio of 2.40 is in the lower quartile for the Aerospace & Defense industry. From a value investing perspective, this is favorable, as it suggests the stock is trading at a discount to its net asset value and may offer a greater margin of safety.

LUV

2.31

Passenger Airlines Industry

Max: 3.44
Q3: 2.89
Median: 1.84
Q1: 1.22
Min: 0.56

LUV’s P/B Ratio of 2.31 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.

LHX vs. LUV: A comparison of their Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ) against their respective Aerospace & Defense and Passenger Airlines industry benchmarks.

Valuation at a Glance

Symbol	LHX	LUV
Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM)	30.52	42.24
Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM)	2.42	0.60
Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ)	2.40	2.31
Price-to-Free Cash Flow Ratio (TTM)	22.86	44.16