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Ryanair Holdings vs United Airlines Holdings: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Ryanair holds the cleaner structural position, with the lead spread across growth and profitability. United Airlines still has the edge on growth, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. The market setup is currently leaning toward United Airlines, which does not confirm the structural lead. That leaves a split case: the structural lead stays with Ryanair, but the market is not currently confirming it.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Peer scores are normalised within each company's primary universe (RYA.IR: STOXX 600, UAL: S&P 500).

Updated 2026-08-16

Growth points more clearly toward United Airlines Holdings, Inc., even if the broader score still leans toward Ryanair Holdings plc.

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Airlines

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

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

Peer-Relative Score
RYA.IR
Ryanair Holdings plc
64
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: STOXX 600
vs
UAL
United Airlines Holdings, Inc.
58
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: RYA.IR vs UAL Profitability 86 53 Stability 53 27 Valuation 81 87 Growth 16 54 RYA.IR UAL
Gap Ranking
#1 Growth +38
#2 Profitability +33
#3 Stability +26
#4 Valuation +6
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for RYA.IR and UAL Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer RYA.IRUAL Relative valuation Structural strength

The two profiles are relatively close, but the price setup still leans toward United Airlines Holdings, Inc..

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

Entry today — historical context

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

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY RYA.IR Elevated · near norm 0th 50th 100th 14 pct gap UAL Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 84th 98th
RYA.IR (84th percentile) and UAL (98th 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
Growth
United Airlines Holdings, Inc. sits in the stronger part of the group on growth, while Ryanair Holdings plc is closer to mid-pack.
Profitability
Both profiles are strong on profitability, but Ryanair Holdings plc leads clearly.
Growth — Dominant Gap
RYA.IR
16
UAL
54
Gap+38in favour of UAL

The current lead is backed by a stronger multi-year growth trajectory.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

The market setup is mixed for both, so the structural comparison carries most of the weight here.

What this means for the comparison

The lead is built on both growth and profitability — though growth still provides a counterweight.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

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

Explore full breakdown →
Other comparisons with conflicting dimension signals

Explore how RYA.IR and UAL 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.