Alaska Air Group (ALK) Competitors

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) and Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) are both transportation companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, risk, media sentiment, institutional ownership and valuation.

Does the media prefer LUV or ALK?

In the previous week, Southwest Airlines had 6 more articles in the media than Alaska Air Group. MarketBeat recorded 19 mentions for Southwest Airlines and 13 mentions for Alaska Air Group. Alaska Air Group's average media sentiment score of 0.44 beat Southwest Airlines' score of 0.32 indicating that Alaska Air Group is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Southwest Airlines	4 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	10 Neutral mention(s)	3 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
Alaska Air Group	9 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Is LUV or ALK more profitable?

Alaska Air Group has a net margin of 2.86% compared to Southwest Airlines' net margin of 1.98%. Alaska Air Group's return on equity of 15.01% beat Southwest Airlines' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Southwest Airlines	1.98%	7.27%	2.15%
Alaska Air Group	2.86%	15.01%	3.47%

Which has more risk & volatility, LUV or ALK?

Southwest Airlines has a beta of 1.21, suggesting that its stock price is 21% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Alaska Air Group has a beta of 1.41, suggesting that its stock price is 41% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts rate LUV or ALK?

Southwest Airlines currently has a consensus target price of $31.88, indicating a potential downside of 6.25%. Alaska Air Group has a consensus target price of $66.83, indicating a potential upside of 31.02%. Given Alaska Air Group's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Alaska Air Group is more favorable than Southwest Airlines.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Southwest Airlines	5 Sell rating(s)	8 Hold rating(s)	5 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00
Alaska Air Group	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	11 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.92

Do institutionals & insiders believe in LUV or ALK?

80.8% of Southwest Airlines shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 81.9% of Alaska Air Group shares are held by institutional investors. 0.8% of Southwest Airlines shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.0% of Alaska Air Group shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Which has stronger earnings and valuation, LUV or ALK?

Southwest Airlines has higher revenue and earnings than Alaska Air Group. Alaska Air Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Southwest Airlines, 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
Southwest Airlines	$27.48B	0.71	$465M	$0.85	40.00
Alaska Air Group	$11.74B	0.53	$395M	$2.75	18.55

Summary

Alaska Air Group beats Southwest Airlines on 11 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.