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Stock Comparison · Structural lead, mixed market

J.B. Hunt Transport Services vs Southwest Airlines Co.: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

J.B. Hunt Transport Services holds the cleaner structural position, with profitability as the main driver and growth adding further support. Southwest Airlines Co still has the edge on valuation, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. The market setup is broadly comparable for both — no clear directional signal from price behavior. The market is not adding a decisive signal either way — the structural read carries the weight.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the S&P 500 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-08-16

This is not just a one-metric split: both profitability and growth materially support the lead. The overall score gap is 12 points in favour of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc..

Trajectory Similarity
0.70
Similar
Peer-set rank: #70
within J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc.'s functional peer set

These two companies are linked by measured long-term financial trajectory similarity within the selected peer universe.

This level of similarity signals a strong structural match, even though some dimensions still separate the two companies.

Most of the shared profile comes through margin consistency and recent revenue growth.

Similarity drivers
margin consistencyrecent revenue growth
How to read the score
0.85–1.00 · Very similar0.70–0.84 · Similar0.55–0.69 · Moderately similarbelow 0.55 · Loose match
Peer-Relative Score
JBHT
J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc.
59
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
LUV
Southwest Airlines Co.
47
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

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

The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: JBHT vs LUV Profitability 56 21 Stability 53 39 Valuation 45 63 Growth 90 70 JBHT LUV
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +35
#2 Growth +20
#3 Valuation +18
#4 Stability +14
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for JBHT and LUV Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer JBHTLUV Relative valuation Structural strength

The setup splits cleanly: structure favours J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc., while the price setup favours Southwest Airlines Co..

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

Entry today — historical context

Where JBHT and LUV each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY JBHT Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 6 pct gap LUV Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 98th 91st
JBHT (98th percentile) and LUV (91st 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
J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. sits in the stronger part of the group on profitability, while Southwest Airlines Co. is closer to mid-pack.
Growth
Both rank well on growth, but J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. still sits higher.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
JBHT
56
LUV
21
Gap+35in favour of JBHT

Capital efficiency adds support, with a 7.8-point ROIC advantage.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Absolute pricing still looks more supportive for Southwest Airlines Co, with a forward P/E that is 18.7 turns lower there.

What this means for the comparison

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

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the JBHT vs LUV comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Similar profitability-and-growth comparisons

Explore how JBHT and LUV 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.