JBLU vs UAL Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
JetBlue offers a smaller, leisure-focused airline turnaround story, while United provides scale, global reach, and a diversified premium and loyalty revenue base.
Investors weighing JetBlue against United are choosing between a higher-risk restructuring bet and a larger, more diversified network carrier.
UAL holds the edge across 5 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. UAL leads on both 1-year return (+13.35%) and forward P/E quality (8.11x vs -12.49x for JBLU), a relatively favorable combination of momentum and valuation. UAL leads on both revenue growth (16.00%) and operating margin (5.53%), suggesting a stronger fundamental setup on both dimensions. Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for UAL (+29.37%) than for JBLU (+14.59%).
- Believe in the airline's cost-restructuring turnaround plan
- Want exposure to East Coast and Caribbean leisure travel demand
- Can tolerate higher volatility and thinner margins
- Are looking for a smaller-cap airline recovery story
- Prefer scale and global network diversification
- Want exposure to growing premium cabin and loyalty revenue
- Seek a more established, cash-generating network carrier
- Are comfortable with typical airline cyclicality and debt levels
| Metric | JBLU | UAL |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | 24.4 | 52.3 |
| AI rank | #3110 | #341 |
| Latest close | $4.89 | $113.17 |
| 1M return | -5.23% | -3.49% |
| 6M return | -17.26% | +2.84% |
| 1Y return | -3.74% | +13.35% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | JBLU | UAL |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $9.63K (-3.7%) started 2025-08-21 | $11.64K (+16.4%) started 2025-08-21 |
| 5Y ago | $3.32K (-66.8%) started 2021-08-23 | $24.86K (+148.6%) started 2021-08-23 |
| 10Y ago | $3.05K (-69.5%) started 2016-08-22 | $24.1K (+141.0%) started 2016-08-22 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | JBLU | UAL |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $1.85B | $40.68B |
| Trailing P/E | N/A | 11.74 |
| Forward P/E | -12.49 | 8.11 |
| Price/Sales | 0.19 | 0.48 |
| EV/Revenue | 0.97 | 0.92 |
| Analyst target | $5.60 | $162.15 |
| Target upside | +14.59% | +29.37% |
| Metric | JBLU | UAL |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 14.50% | 16.00% |
| Earnings growth | N/A | -17.20% |
| EPS growth | N/A | -17.20% |
| FCF margin | -9.69% | +1.45% |
| Operating margin | -5.23% | 5.53% |
| Profit margin | -9.32% | 5.56% |
| ROIC proxy | -44.35% | 23.25% |
| Return on equity | -44.35% | 23.25% |
| Dividend yield | 0.00% | N/A |
| Beta | 1.74 | 1.29 |
| Debt/equity | 591.43 | 201.64 |
| Current ratio | 0.70 | 0.78 |
| Quick ratio | 0.54 | 0.69 |
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | JBLU | UAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | -3.74% | +16.45% |
| CAGR | -3.74% | +16.47% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.18 | 0.46 | |
| Max drawdown | 37.62% | 27.50% | |
| Max daily drop | 11.86% | 8.70% | |
| Max wkly drop | 21.38% | 18.04% | |
| 5Y | Growth | -66.78% | +148.56% |
| CAGR | -19.80% | +20.00% | |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.13 | 0.52 | |
| Max drawdown | 78.97% | 49.19% | |
| Max daily drop | 25.71% | 15.61% | |
| Max wkly drop | 25.34% | 29.73% | |
| 10Y | Growth | -69.53% | +141.04% |
| CAGR | -11.21% | +9.20% | |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.03 | 0.34 | |
| Max drawdown | 85.56% | 79.40% | |
| Max daily drop | 25.71% | 30.29% | |
| Max wkly drop | 43.55% | 56.67% |
| Category | JBLU | UAL |
|---|---|---|
| Company | JetBlue Airways Corporation | United Airlines Holdings, Inc. |
| Sector | Airlines | Industrials |
| Industry | N/A | Airlines |
| Core business | JetBlue is a low-cost carrier focused on East Coast, Caribbean, and transatlantic leisure routes with a premium-lite cabin experience. | United Airlines operates one of the largest global route networks, with a strong hub system and significant international and corporate travel exposure. |
| Investor focus | Watch for progress on its cost-cutting and network restructuring plan and whether leisure travel demand stays resilient. | Watch premium cabin revenue trends, corporate travel demand, and fuel cost management. |
- Loyal customer base in strong East Coast markets
- Newer, more fuel-efficient fleet than many legacy peers
- Ongoing cost-restructuring initiative targeting margin improvement
- Extensive global network with strong hub positioning
- Growing premium and loyalty program revenue mix
- Scale advantages in fleet utilization and cost absorption
- Smaller scale limits negotiating leverage with airports and suppliers
- Heavy exposure to leisure travel makes revenue cyclical
- History of thin or negative operating margins versus larger rivals
- High fixed costs and debt load typical of network carriers
- Exposure to international demand and geopolitical disruptions
- Fuel price volatility remains a persistent margin risk
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