Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) vs Sterling Infrastructure, Inc. (STRL)

STRL leads on 9 of 15 compared metrics, though LUV is the cheaper stock.

A side-by-side comparison of Southwest Airlines Co. and Sterling Infrastructure, Inc. across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of June 25, 2026. The ● marks the stronger figure on each row (cheaper multiple, higher margin/return).

Compare
Southwest Airlines Co. logo
LUV
Southwest Airlines Co.
$24.90B
$50.94Industrials
Sterling Infrastructure, Inc. logo
STRL
Sterling Infrastructure, Inc.
$27.38B
$892.25Industrials

Total return — LUV vs STRL

growth of $100 · last 30y
LUV +744.7%STRL +71280.0%STRL compounded faster
Log scale — wide-divergence pair
101001k10k100kStart $100200120062011201620212026$845$71,380
LUV STRL

LUV vs STRL: by the numbers

  • •STRL is the larger company ($27.38B vs $24.90B market cap).
  • •LUV trades at the lower earnings multiple (32.86 vs 79.81 P/E).
  • •STRL converts more revenue to profit (12.02% vs 2.83% net margin).
  • •LUV grew revenue faster over the past five years (33.29% vs 14.81% CAGR).
  • •LUV pays a dividend (1.41% yield) while STRL does not currently pay one.

Which is better, LUV or STRL?

Metric tally: LUV 6 · STRL 9

It depends on what you're optimizing for:

ValueLUV(lower P/E)
GrowthLUV(faster 5Y revenue CAGR)
QualitySTRL(higher ROIC)

Metrics side by side

Valuation

MetricLUVSTRL
P/E ratio32.86●79.81
Forward P/E11.19●37.10
P/S ratio0.89●9.60
P/B ratio3.73●23.28
PEG ratio40.832.34●
EV / EBITDA10.70●46.65
FCF yield—1.59%

Profitability

MetricLUVSTRL
Gross margin16.46%23.29%●
Operating margin3.40%17.25%●
Net margin2.83%12.02%●
ROE11.88%29.14%●
ROIC1.79%19.06%●

Dividends

MetricLUVSTRL
Dividend yield1.41%—
Payout ratio87.80%—

Growth (annualized)

MetricLUVSTRL
Revenue CAGR (5Y)33.29%●14.81%
EPS CAGR (5Y)-24.07%44.28%●
FCF CAGR (5Y)-15.91%31.85%●
Total return CAGR (5Y)0.21%109.90%●

Frequently asked

Which is better, LUV or STRL?
It depends on your goal. value: LUV (lower P/E); growth: LUV (faster 5Y revenue CAGR); quality: STRL (higher ROIC). Across all compared metrics, STRL leads 9 to 6.
Is LUV or STRL cheaper?
On trailing earnings, LUV is cheaper: LUV trades at a 32.86 P/E and STRL at 79.81.
Which has grown faster, LUV or STRL?
Over the past five years, LUV grew revenue faster — LUV at a 33.29% CAGR versus STRL at 14.81%.
Does LUV or STRL pay a bigger dividend?
LUV pays a dividend (1.41% yield) while STRL does not currently pay one.
Is LUV or STRL more profitable?
STRL runs the higher net margin — LUV at 2.83% versus STRL at 12.02%.
Which has been the better investment, LUV or STRL?
Over the past 10-year, STRL delivered the higher annualized total return — LUV at 4.16% versus STRL at 67.55%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full LUV analysisFull STRL analysisInteractive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

Southwest Airlines P/E ratioSterling Infrastructure P/E ratioSouthwest Airlines dividend yieldSterling Infrastructure dividend yieldSouthwest Airlines ROESterling Infrastructure ROESouthwest Airlines operating marginSterling Infrastructure operating marginSouthwest Airlines revenue growthSterling Infrastructure revenue growthSouthwest Airlines free cash flowSterling Infrastructure free cash flow

Southwest Airlines & Sterling Infrastructure appear in these rankings

Fastest Revenue Growth StocksHighest ROE StocksHighest ROIC StocksBest 10-Year Total Return Stocks

Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified June 25, 2026.