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International Consolidated Airlines Group vs Ryanair Holdings: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

The structural profiles are close, with International Consolidated Airlines carrying a narrow edge on profitability. Ryanair still has the edge on growth, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. The market setup broadly confirms the structural lead — International Consolidated Airlines holds the more constructive position. That puts structure and market broadly in agreement — International Consolidated Airlines's lead looks more confirmed than conflicted.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the STOXX 600 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-08-16

Profitability still does most of the heavy lifting in this comparison.

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Airlines

This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. IAG.L and RYA.IR share the same industry classification.

For a similarity-based comparison, see how IAG.L and Ryanair each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
IAG.L
International Consolidated Airlines Group S.A.
68
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: STOXX 600
vs
RYA.IR
Ryanair Holdings plc
64
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: STOXX 600

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The clearest separation appears in profitability.

Dimension spread: IAG.L vs RYA.IR Profitability 100 86 Stability 54 53 Valuation 88 81 Growth 6 16 IAG.L RYA.IR
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +14
#2 Growth +10
#3 Valuation +7
#4 Stability +1
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for IAG.L and RYA.IR Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer IAG.LRYA.IR Relative valuation Structural strength

The structural gap is limited here, but current pricing still leans against Ryanair Holdings plc.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where IAG.L and RYA.IR each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY IAG.L Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 14 pct gap RYA.IR Elevated · near norm 0th 50th 100th 98th 84th
IAG.L (98th percentile) and RYA.IR (84th percentile) both sit in the upper portion of their own 5-year ranges. The historical entry context is broadly similar for both. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Profitability
Both sit in the stronger range on profitability, with International Consolidated Airlines Group S.A. holding the higher position.
Growth
Neither side looks especially strong on growth, though International Consolidated Airlines Group S.A. still ranks somewhat higher.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
IAG.L
100
RYA.IR
86
Gap+14in favour of IAG.L

Return on equity adds support too, with a 19.7-point advantage.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Growth still leans toward Ryanair Holdings plc, so the lead is real without reading as one-way.

What this means for the comparison

Profitability is the clearest driver of the lead, with growth adding further support — though growth still provides a real counterweight.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the IAG.L vs RYA.IR comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Other close comparisons

Explore how IAG.L and RYA.IR each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.