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Side-by-side financial comparison of HSBC HOLDINGS PLC (HSBC) and United Airlines Holdings (UAL). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
HSBC HOLDINGS PLC is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($28.6B vs $14.6B, roughly 2.0× United Airlines Holdings). HSBC HOLDINGS PLC runs the higher net margin — 25.7% vs 4.8%, a 20.9% gap on every dollar of revenue. HSBC HOLDINGS PLC produced more free cash flow last quarter ($64.0B vs $2.0B).
HSBC Holdings plc is a British universal bank and financial services group headquartered in London, England, with historical and business links to East Asia and a multinational footprint. It is the largest Europe-based bank by total assets, ahead of BNP Paribas, with US$3.098 trillion as of September 2024. This also puts it as the 7th largest bank in the world by total assets behind Bank of America, and the 3rd largest non-state owned bank in the world.
United Airlines, Inc. is a major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and to destinations on six continents. Regional service is provided by independent carriers operating under the United Express brand, and the Star Alliance, of which United was one of the five founding airlines, extends its network throughout the world.
HSBC vs UAL — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q4 FY2024 vs Q1 FY2026
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $28.6B | $14.6B |
| Net Profit | $7.3B | $699.0M |
| Gross Margin | — | — |
| Operating Margin | 33.1% | 6.8% |
| Net Margin | 25.7% | 4.8% |
| Revenue YoY | — | 10.6% |
| Net Profit YoY | — | 80.6% |
| EPS (diluted) | $0.36 | $2.14 |
Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.
8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend
Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.
| Q1 26 | — | $14.6B | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $15.4B | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $15.2B | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $15.2B | ||
| Q1 25 | $28.6B | $13.2B | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $14.7B | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $14.8B | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $15.0B |
| Q1 26 | — | $699.0M | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $1.0B | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $949.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $973.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $7.3B | $387.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $985.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $965.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $1.3B |
| Q1 26 | — | 6.8% | ||
| Q4 25 | — | 9.0% | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 9.2% | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 8.7% | ||
| Q1 25 | 33.1% | 4.6% | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 10.2% | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 10.5% | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 12.9% |
| Q1 26 | — | 4.8% | ||
| Q4 25 | — | 6.8% | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 6.2% | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 6.4% | ||
| Q1 25 | 25.7% | 2.9% | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 6.7% | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 6.5% | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 8.8% |
| Q1 26 | — | $2.14 | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $3.17 | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $2.90 | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $2.97 | ||
| Q1 25 | $0.36 | $1.16 | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $2.97 | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $2.90 | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $3.96 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $434.9B | $14.2B |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | — | — |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $192.3B | $15.9B |
| Total Assets | $3017.0B | $80.9B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | — | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | $14.2B | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $12.2B | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $13.3B | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $15.6B | ||
| Q1 25 | $434.9B | $15.3B | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $14.5B | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $14.2B | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $15.2B |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $20.6B | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $20.8B | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $20.9B | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $24.4B | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $25.2B | ||
| Q3 24 | — | — | ||
| Q2 24 | — | — |
| Q1 26 | — | $15.9B | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $15.3B | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $14.3B | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $13.4B | ||
| Q1 25 | $192.3B | $12.6B | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $12.7B | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $11.4B | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $10.5B |
| Q1 26 | — | $80.9B | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $76.4B | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $76.3B | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $77.2B | ||
| Q1 25 | $3017.0B | $76.1B | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $74.1B | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $72.6B | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $73.3B |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | 1.35× | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 1.45× | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 1.56× | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 1.93× | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 1.99× | ||
| Q3 24 | — | — | ||
| Q2 24 | — | — |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | $65.3B | $4.8B |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $64.0B | $2.0B |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 223.9% | 13.9% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 4.7% | 13.9% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | 8.90× | 6.87× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | — | $2.1B |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | $4.8B | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $1.3B | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $1.2B | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $2.2B | ||
| Q1 25 | $65.3B | $3.7B | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $2.2B | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $1.5B | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $2.9B |
| Q1 26 | — | $2.0B | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $-604.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $-246.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $930.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $64.0B | $2.5B | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $549.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $88.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $1.7B |
| Q1 26 | — | 13.9% | ||
| Q4 25 | — | -3.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | — | -1.6% | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 6.1% | ||
| Q1 25 | 223.9% | 18.7% | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 3.7% | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 0.6% | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 11.4% |
| Q1 26 | — | 13.9% | ||
| Q4 25 | — | 12.3% | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 9.6% | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 8.4% | ||
| Q1 25 | 4.7% | 9.3% | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 11.4% | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 9.5% | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 7.8% |
| Q1 26 | — | 6.87× | ||
| Q4 25 | — | 1.23× | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 1.28× | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 2.28× | ||
| Q1 25 | 8.90× | 9.59× | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 2.26× | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 1.55× | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 2.17× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
HSBC
Segment breakdown not available.
UAL
| Passenger revenue | $13.2B | 90% |
| Other | $1.0B | 7% |
| Cargo revenue | $422.0M | 3% |
