Chicago-based United Airlines is a major US network carrier with hubs in San Francisco, Chicago, Houston, Denver, Los Angeles, Newark, and Washington, D.C. United operates a hub-and-spoke system that is more focused on international and long-haul travel, especially across the Pacific, than its large US peers.
It is a $34.9B consumer company. Revenue grew 8.5% over the last year, it keeps 6¢ of every dollar of sales as profit, and its net debt equals ~5.0 years of free cash flow. It trades at 10.0× earnings — around the middle of its own history.
- Website
- united.com
- Location
- Chicago, IL
- Employees
- 117 500
- Sector
- Consumer Cyclical
Skills
Six independent scores, 0–100, built from reported numbers and valuation history. Click a row to see how it was scored.
Strong valuation; Growth, Health and Moat lag behind.
Valuation82
- P/E vs own history59th pct · 12/25
- FCF yield7.3% · 20/25
- P/S0.6x · 25/25
- EV/EBITDA6.5x · 25/25
Growth45
- Revenue CAGR24.4% · 25/25
- Net income CAGRn/a · 0/25
- EPS CAGR ~5Yn/a · 0/25
- Fwd implied growth16.2% · 20/25
Profitability50
- ROIC12.0% · 12/25
- ROE22.5% · 20/25
- Net margin5.6% · 13/25
- Operating margin7.8% · 5/25
Health36
- Altman Zn/a · 0/25
- Current ratio0.78 · 6/25
- Interest coverage8.8x · 18/25
- Net cash / debtD/A 17% · 12/25
Quality74
- Piotroski F7/9 · 22/25
- Beneish M-2.75 · 25/25
- FCF conversion73% · 15/25
- Margin stabilityσ 14.1% · 12/25
Moat30
- ROIC >12% years7/10 yrs · 20/25
- Median gross margin8.5% · 0/25
- FCF-positive years6/10 yrs · 10/25
- Worst-year net marginworst -46.2% · 0/25
Experience
The company's career so far — founding, the IPO, landmark products and acquisitions, plus revenue milestones and insider buying.
- FY2025FinancialBest year on record$3.35B net income
- FY2023FinancialRevenue crossed $50B$53.7B for the year
- FY2016FinancialFirst recorded profitable year$2.26B net income
- FY2016FinancialRevenue already above $10B$36.6B in first reported year
- 1931AcquisitionHe launched an air service between Victoria, British Columbia
Achievements
Verifiable track record, straight from the reported numbers.
Strengths & watch-outs
What a bull and a bear would each point to. Both lists come from the reported numbers, not opinions.
Strengths
- High gross margin (60.8%)
- Interest covered 8.8× by operating earnings
- Piotroski F-Score 7/9 — fundamentally strong checklist
Watch-outs
- Loss-making in 2 of the recent years
- Net debt equals ~5.0 years of free cash flow
Qualifications
The basics a company should meet before you research it further. Each check uses the reported numbers.
- Revenue growing — the company sells more than a year ago+8.5% YoY
- Profitable — makes more than it spends$3.50B TTM
- Profit growing — earnings are higher than last year+66.0% YoY
- Generates cash — cash left after running and investing$2.54B TTM
- Debt under control — could handle its obligations~5.0y of cash flow to repay
- Established company — not a micro-cap — lower blow-up risk$34.9B market cap
- Not printing shares — share count not ballooning — you keep your slice+17.1% shares over ~5y
- Proven track record — years of profitability behind it8/10 profitable years
- Financially stable — balance sheet not near distresshealth score 24/100
- Pays a dividend — returns cash to shareholdersno data
- Valuation not extreme — price not wildly above earningsP/E 10.0
Peer comparisonUnited Airlines Holdings, Inc. vs 6 largest consumer cyclical peers — cap, P/E, growth and margin side by sideOpen ▾Close ▴
| Company | Market cap | P/E | Revenue growth | Net margin | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UAL this company | $34.9B | 10.0 | +8.5% | 5.6% | Strained |
| AMZN Amazon.Com Inc | $2.8T | 20.9 | +15.8% | 17.4% | Mixed |
| TSLA Tesla, Inc. | $1.5T | 397.1 | +11.8% | 3.7% | Strong |
| NFLX NetFlix Inc | $292.8B | 21.4 | +16.0% | 28.2% | Solid |
| HD Home Depot, Inc. | $290.4B | 20.4 | -16.0% | 8.7% | Solid |
| DIS The Walt Disney Company | $186.5B | 21.7 | +4.6% | 8.7% | Solid |
| MCD McDonald's Corporation | $166.9B | 18.9 | +6.3% | 31.7% | Strained |
Head-to-head: UAL vs AMZN · UAL vs TSLA · UAL vs NFLX
References
What covering analysts publish about the company — information only, not a recommendation.
Appendix · Financial records
The full statements behind this CV, FY2016–FY2025. For readers who want to check the numbers.
Live data and quarterly detail: stockcv.com/UAL
Want the live picture — intraday moves, valuation history and full analysis?
Deeper analysis of UAL on PreMarketPriceFigures are derived from company filings (quarterly values normalised from as-filed year-to-date data where applicable) and may be delayed, restated or incomplete. This page is information, not investment advice. Latest price $107.53 · market cap $34.9B.