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RYAAY vs. UAL: Ryanair vs. United Airlines Stock Comparison

How do Ryanair (RYAAY) and United Airlines (UAL) 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

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

United Airlines (UAL) 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 Ryanair (RYAAY) and United Airlines (UAL)
Profile ItemRYAAYUAL
NameRyanair Holdings plc Sponsored ADRUnited Airlines Holdings, Inc.
Country/RegionIrelandUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupTransportationTransportation
GICS IndustryPassenger AirlinesPassenger Airlines
GICS Sub-IndustryPassenger AirlinesPassenger Airlines
Market Capitalization30.71 billion USD36.63 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNasdaq
Listing DateMay 29, 1997February 6, 2006
Security TypeADRCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

RYAAY
UAL
GSPC
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Ryanair (RYAAY) vs. United Airlines (UAL), 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 Ryanair (RYAAY) and United Airlines (UAL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Ryanair (RYAAY) and United Airlines (UAL)
MetricRYAAYUAL
Total Return (1Y)-2.55%22.35%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)14.57%47.27%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)5.74%17.68%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

RYAAY
UAL
GSPC
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Ryanair (RYAAY) vs. United Airlines (UAL), 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 Ryanair (RYAAY) and United Airlines (UAL). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Ryanair (RYAAY) and United Airlines (UAL)
MetricRYAAYUAL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)37.69%48.88%
Beta (5Y)1.141.32
Max Drawdown (5Y)-54.17%-49.19%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.62M4.24M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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RYAAY and UAL 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 Ryanair (RYAAY) and United Airlines (UAL)
MetricRYAAYUAL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.180.37
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.270.59

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

United Airlines (UAL) at 22.31% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Ryanair (RYAAY) at 17.32% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for UAL.

RYAAY

Transportation industry group

17.32%

Max
45.08%
Q3
22.02%
RYAAY
17.32%
Median
13.94%
Q1
2.89%
Min
-10.45%

UAL

Transportation industry group

22.31%

Max
45.08%
UAL
22.31%
Q3
22.02%
Median
13.94%
Q1
2.89%
Min
-10.45%
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Ryanair (RYAAY) vs. United Airlines (UAL): A comparison of their ROE against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Ryanair (RYAAY) at 11.28% and United Airlines (UAL) at 5.46% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

RYAAY

Transportation industry group

11.28%

Max
50.36%
Q3
21.18%
RYAAY
11.28%
Median
5.58%
Q1
1.55%
Min
-11.37%

UAL

Transportation industry group

5.46%

Max
50.36%
Q3
21.18%
Median
5.58%
UAL
5.46%
Q1
1.55%
Min
-11.37%
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Ryanair (RYAAY) vs. United Airlines (UAL): A comparison of their net margin against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Ryanair (RYAAY) at 31.94% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of United Airlines (UAL) at 7.03%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

RYAAY

Transportation industry group

31.94%

Max
59.18%
RYAAY
31.94%
Q3
29.30%
Median
11.50%
Q1
4.62%
Min
-8.91%

UAL

Transportation industry group

7.03%

Max
59.18%
Q3
29.30%
Median
11.50%
UAL
7.03%
Q1
4.62%
Min
-8.91%
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Ryanair (RYAAY) vs. United Airlines (UAL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Ryanair (RYAAY) and United Airlines (UAL)
MetricRYAAYUAL
ROE (TTM)17.32%22.31%
ROA (TTM)6.82%3.31%
Net Margin (TTM)11.28%5.46%
Operating Margin (TTM)31.94%7.03%
Gross Margin (TTM)27.18%30.87%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Ryanair (RYAAY) at 11.44% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while United Airlines (UAL) at 3.52% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for RYAAY.

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Ryanair (RYAAY) vs. United Airlines (UAL): 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 United Airlines (UAL) at 7.94% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for RYAAY.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Ryanair (RYAAY) and United Airlines (UAL)
MetricRYAAYUAL
Revenue Growth (YoY)11.44%3.52%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)12.99%9.53%
EPS Growth (YoY)40.37%7.94%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)21.00%66.00%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Ryanair (RYAAY) at 1.17 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while United Airlines (UAL) at 0.75 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for UAL.

RYAAY

Transportation industry group

1.17

Max
2.58
Q3
1.62
RYAAY
1.17
Median
1.16
Q1
0.78
Min
0.22

UAL

Transportation industry group

0.75

Max
2.58
Q3
1.62
Median
1.16
Q1
0.78
UAL
0.75
Min
0.22
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Ryanair (RYAAY) vs. United Airlines (UAL): 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 quartile, while United Airlines (UAL) at 1.93 sits in the higher-leverage quartile.

RYAAY

Transportation industry group

0.05

Max
2.75
Q3
1.37
Median
0.78
Q1
0.35
RYAAY
0.05
Min
0.00

UAL

Transportation industry group

1.93

Max
2.75
UAL
1.93
Q3
1.37
Median
0.78
Q1
0.35
Min
0.00
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Ryanair (RYAAY) vs. United Airlines (UAL): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Ryanair (RYAAY) and United Airlines (UAL)
MetricRYAAYUAL
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.170.75
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.051.93
Net Debt / EBITDA-0.592.79

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

United Airlines (UAL) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Ryanair (RYAAY) reports a yield of 0.80%, ranking against industry peers normally.

RYAAY

Transportation industry group

0.80%

Max
4.68%
Q3
1.99%
RYAAY
0.80%
Median
0.74%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

UAL

Transportation industry group

0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

United Airlines (UAL) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Ryanair (RYAAY) reports a payout of 22.67%, ranking against industry peers normally.

RYAAY

Transportation industry group

22.67%

Max
100.89%
Q3
41.68%
RYAAY
22.67%
Median
20.43%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

UAL

Transportation industry group

0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Ryanair (RYAAY) and United Airlines (UAL)
MetricRYAAYUAL
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.80%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)22.67%0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

United Airlines (UAL) at 10.32 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Ryanair (RYAAY) at 14.90 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for UAL, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

RYAAY

Transportation industry group

14.90

Max
46.76
Q3
30.87
Median
20.58
RYAAY
14.90
Q1
10.44
Min
0.00

UAL

Transportation industry group

10.32

Max
46.76
Q3
30.87
Median
20.58
Q1
10.44
UAL
10.32
Min
0.00
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Ryanair (RYAAY) vs. United Airlines (UAL): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Ryanair (RYAAY) at 1.94 and United Airlines (UAL) at 0.56 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

RYAAY

Transportation industry group

1.94

Max
4.35
Q3
2.07
RYAAY
1.94
Median
0.93
Q1
0.53
Min
0.04

UAL

Transportation industry group

0.56

Max
4.35
Q3
2.07
Median
0.93
UAL
0.56
Q1
0.53
Min
0.04
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Ryanair (RYAAY) vs. United Airlines (UAL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Ryanair (RYAAY) at 2.35 and United Airlines (UAL) at 2.06 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

RYAAY

Transportation industry group

2.35

Max
6.29
Q3
3.39
RYAAY
2.35
Median
1.90
Q1
1.03
Min
-2.07

UAL

Transportation industry group

2.06

Max
6.29
Q3
3.39
UAL
2.06
Median
1.90
Q1
1.03
Min
-2.07
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Ryanair (RYAAY) vs. United Airlines (UAL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Ryanair (RYAAY) and United Airlines (UAL)
MetricRYAAYUAL
P/E Ratio (TTM)14.9010.32
P/S Ratio (TTM)1.940.56
P/B Ratio (MRQ)2.352.06
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)-3.25%-1.57%