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LUV vs. RYAAY: Southwest Airlines vs. Ryanair Stock Comparison

How do Southwest Airlines (LUV) and Ryanair (RYAAY) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Southwest Airlines (LUV) and Ryanair (RYAAY) are both classified in the Passenger Airlines sub-industry within the broader Passenger Airlines industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Southwest Airlines (LUV) trades as ordinary local shares, while Ryanair (RYAAY) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for Southwest Airlines (LUV) and Ryanair (RYAAY)
Profile ItemLUVRYAAY
NameSouthwest Airlines Co.Ryanair Holdings plc Sponsored ADR
Country/RegionUnited StatesIreland
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupTransportationTransportation
GICS IndustryPassenger AirlinesPassenger Airlines
GICS Sub-IndustryPassenger AirlinesPassenger Airlines
Market Capitalization21.76 billion USD30.71 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateJanuary 2, 1980May 29, 1997
Security TypeCommon StockADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

LUV
RYAAY
GSPC
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Southwest Airlines (LUV) vs. Ryanair (RYAAY), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Southwest Airlines (LUV) and Ryanair (RYAAY). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Southwest Airlines (LUV) and Ryanair (RYAAY). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Southwest Airlines (LUV) and Ryanair (RYAAY)
MetricLUVRYAAY
Total Return (1Y)44.35%-2.55%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)28.08%14.57%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-0.31%5.74%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

LUV
RYAAY
GSPC
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Southwest Airlines (LUV) vs. Ryanair (RYAAY), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Southwest Airlines (LUV) and Ryanair (RYAAY). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Southwest Airlines (LUV) and Ryanair (RYAAY)
MetricLUVRYAAY
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)44.46%37.69%
Beta (5Y)1.191.14
Max Drawdown (5Y)-55.39%-54.17%
Avg. Volume (3M)5.76M1.62M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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LUV and RYAAY are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Southwest Airlines (LUV) and Ryanair (RYAAY)
MetricLUVRYAAY
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.90-0.18
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.51-0.27

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Southwest Airlines (LUV) at 13.94% and Ryanair (RYAAY) at 17.32% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

LUV

Transportation industry group

13.94%

Max
45.08%
Q3
22.02%
LUV
13.94%
Median
13.94%
Q1
2.89%
Min
-10.45%

RYAAY

Transportation industry group

17.32%

Max
45.08%
Q3
22.02%
RYAAY
17.32%
Median
13.94%
Q1
2.89%
Min
-10.45%
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Southwest Airlines (LUV) vs. Ryanair (RYAAY): A comparison of their ROE against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Southwest Airlines (LUV) at 3.34% and Ryanair (RYAAY) at 11.28% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

LUV

Transportation industry group

3.34%

Max
50.36%
Q3
21.18%
Median
5.58%
LUV
3.34%
Q1
1.55%
Min
-11.37%

RYAAY

Transportation industry group

11.28%

Max
50.36%
Q3
21.18%
RYAAY
11.28%
Median
5.58%
Q1
1.55%
Min
-11.37%
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Southwest Airlines (LUV) vs. Ryanair (RYAAY): A comparison of their net margin against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Ryanair (RYAAY) at 31.94% carries a top-quartile operating margin, while Southwest Airlines (LUV) at 4.49% operates in the bottom quartile.

LUV

Transportation industry group

4.49%

Max
59.18%
Q3
29.30%
Median
11.50%
Q1
4.62%
LUV
4.49%
Min
-8.91%

RYAAY

Transportation industry group

31.94%

Max
59.18%
RYAAY
31.94%
Q3
29.30%
Median
11.50%
Q1
4.62%
Min
-8.91%
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Southwest Airlines (LUV) vs. Ryanair (RYAAY): A comparison of their operating margin against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Southwest Airlines (LUV) and Ryanair (RYAAY)
MetricLUVRYAAY
ROE (TTM)13.94%17.32%
ROA (TTM)3.05%6.82%
Net Margin (TTM)3.34%11.28%
Operating Margin (TTM)4.49%31.94%
Gross Margin (TTM)22.14%27.18%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Ryanair (RYAAY) at 11.44% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Southwest Airlines (LUV) at 2.11% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for RYAAY.

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Southwest Airlines (LUV) vs. Ryanair (RYAAY): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Ryanair (RYAAY) at 40.37% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Southwest Airlines (LUV) at 3.95% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for RYAAY.

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Southwest Airlines (LUV) vs. Ryanair (RYAAY): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Southwest Airlines (LUV) and Ryanair (RYAAY)
MetricLUVRYAAY
Revenue Growth (YoY)2.11%11.44%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)5.63%12.99%
EPS Growth (YoY)3.95%40.37%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-3.16%21.00%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Ryanair (RYAAY) at 1.17 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Southwest Airlines (LUV) at 0.47 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for LUV.

LUV

Transportation industry group

0.47

Max
2.58
Q3
1.62
Median
1.16
Q1
0.78
LUV
0.47
Min
0.22

RYAAY

Transportation industry group

1.17

Max
2.58
Q3
1.62
RYAAY
1.17
Median
1.16
Q1
0.78
Min
0.22
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Southwest Airlines (LUV) vs. Ryanair (RYAAY): A comparison of their current ratio against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Ryanair (RYAAY) at 0.05 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while Southwest Airlines (LUV) at 0.94 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

LUV

Transportation industry group

0.94

Max
2.75
Q3
1.37
LUV
0.94
Median
0.78
Q1
0.35
Min
0.00

RYAAY

Transportation industry group

0.05

Max
2.75
Q3
1.37
Median
0.78
Q1
0.35
RYAAY
0.05
Min
0.00
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Southwest Airlines (LUV) vs. Ryanair (RYAAY): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Southwest Airlines (LUV) and Ryanair (RYAAY)
MetricLUVRYAAY
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.471.17
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.940.05
Net Debt / EBITDA1.21-0.59

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Southwest Airlines (LUV) at 1.62% and Ryanair (RYAAY) at 0.80% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

LUV

Transportation industry group

1.62%

Max
4.68%
Q3
1.99%
LUV
1.62%
Median
0.74%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

RYAAY

Transportation industry group

0.80%

Max
4.68%
Q3
1.99%
RYAAY
0.80%
Median
0.74%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Southwest Airlines (LUV) vs. Ryanair (RYAAY): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Southwest Airlines (LUV) at 35.12% and Ryanair (RYAAY) at 22.67% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

LUV

Transportation industry group

35.12%

Max
100.89%
Q3
41.68%
LUV
35.12%
Median
20.43%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

RYAAY

Transportation industry group

22.67%

Max
100.89%
Q3
41.68%
RYAAY
22.67%
Median
20.43%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Southwest Airlines (LUV) vs. Ryanair (RYAAY): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Southwest Airlines (LUV) and Ryanair (RYAAY)
MetricLUVRYAAY
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.62%0.80%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)35.12%22.67%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Southwest Airlines (LUV) at 21.68 and Ryanair (RYAAY) at 14.90 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

LUV

Transportation industry group

21.68

Max
46.76
Q3
30.87
LUV
21.68
Median
20.58
Q1
10.44
Min
0.00

RYAAY

Transportation industry group

14.90

Max
46.76
Q3
30.87
Median
20.58
RYAAY
14.90
Q1
10.44
Min
0.00
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Southwest Airlines (LUV) vs. Ryanair (RYAAY): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Southwest Airlines (LUV) at 0.69 and Ryanair (RYAAY) at 1.94 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

LUV

Transportation industry group

0.69

Max
4.35
Q3
2.07
Median
0.93
LUV
0.69
Q1
0.53
Min
0.04

RYAAY

Transportation industry group

1.94

Max
4.35
Q3
2.07
RYAAY
1.94
Median
0.93
Q1
0.53
Min
0.04
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Southwest Airlines (LUV) vs. Ryanair (RYAAY): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Southwest Airlines (LUV) at 2.97 and Ryanair (RYAAY) at 2.35 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

LUV

Transportation industry group

2.97

Max
6.29
Q3
3.39
LUV
2.97
Median
1.90
Q1
1.03
Min
-2.07

RYAAY

Transportation industry group

2.35

Max
6.29
Q3
3.39
RYAAY
2.35
Median
1.90
Q1
1.03
Min
-2.07
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Southwest Airlines (LUV) vs. Ryanair (RYAAY): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Southwest Airlines (LUV) and Ryanair (RYAAY)
MetricLUVRYAAY
P/E Ratio (TTM)21.6814.90
P/S Ratio (TTM)0.691.94
P/B Ratio (MRQ)2.972.35
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)-2.82%-3.25%