United Airlines (UAL) Competitors

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) and Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) are both large-cap transportation companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership, media sentiment and risk.

Does the media prefer UAL or DAL?

In the previous week, Delta Air Lines had 11 more articles in the media than United Airlines. MarketBeat recorded 32 mentions for Delta Air Lines and 21 mentions for United Airlines. United Airlines' average media sentiment score of 1.31 beat Delta Air Lines' score of 0.81 indicating that United Airlines is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
United Airlines	15 Very Positive mention(s)	4 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Delta Air Lines	15 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	12 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has more volatility & risk, UAL or DAL?

United Airlines has a beta of 1.45, meaning that its share price is 45% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Delta Air Lines has a beta of 1.51, meaning that its share price is 51% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Is UAL or DAL more profitable?

United Airlines has a net margin of 6.34% compared to Delta Air Lines' net margin of 5.91%. United Airlines' return on equity of 32.90% beat Delta Air Lines' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
United Airlines	6.34%	32.90%	5.25%
Delta Air Lines	5.91%	28.18%	5.28%

Do analysts prefer UAL or DAL?

United Airlines currently has a consensus target price of $104.64, suggesting a potential upside of 31.41%. Delta Air Lines has a consensus target price of $61.67, suggesting a potential upside of 25.42%. Given United Airlines' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe United Airlines is more favorable than Delta Air Lines.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
United Airlines	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	13 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.06
Delta Air Lines	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	10 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00

Which has stronger earnings and valuation, UAL or DAL?

Delta Air Lines has higher revenue and earnings than United Airlines. United Airlines is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Delta Air Lines, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
United Airlines	$57.06B	0.46	$3.15B	$10.97	7.26
Delta Air Lines	$61.64B	0.52	$3.46B	$5.64	8.72

Do insiders & institutionals hold more shares of UAL or DAL?

69.7% of United Airlines shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 69.9% of Delta Air Lines shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.6% of United Airlines shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.0% of Delta Air Lines shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Delta Air Lines beats United Airlines on 9 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.