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Side-by-side financial comparison of Southwest Airlines (LUV) and McDonald's (MCD). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
Southwest Airlines is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($7.2B vs $7.0B, roughly 1.0× McDonald's). McDonald's runs the higher net margin — 30.9% vs 3.1%, a 27.7% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, Southwest Airlines posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (12.8% vs 9.7%). Over the past eight quarters, McDonald's's revenue compounded faster (6.6% CAGR vs -0.7%).
Southwest Airlines is a major low-cost airline of the United States. It is headquartered in the Love Field neighborhood of Dallas, Texas. It is the fourth-largest airline in North America when measured by passengers carried, as of 2024. With its all-Boeing 737 fleet, Southwest serves over 100 destinations in 42 states, Washington, D.C.
McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American multinational fast food restaurant chain. As of 2024, it is the second-largest by number of locations in the world, behind the Chinese chain Mixue Ice Cream & Tea.
LUV vs MCD — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q4 FY2025
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $7.2B | $7.0B |
| Net Profit | $227.0M | $2.2B |
| Gross Margin | — | — |
| Operating Margin | — | 45.0% |
| Net Margin | 3.1% | 30.9% |
| Revenue YoY | 12.8% | 9.7% |
| Net Profit YoY | 252.3% | 7.3% |
| EPS (diluted) | $0.45 | $3.03 |
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 | $7.2B | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $7.4B | $7.0B | ||
| Q3 25 | $6.9B | $7.1B | ||
| Q2 25 | $7.2B | $6.8B | ||
| Q1 25 | $6.4B | $6.0B | ||
| Q4 24 | $6.9B | $6.4B | ||
| Q3 24 | $6.9B | $6.9B | ||
| Q2 24 | $7.4B | $6.5B |
| Q1 26 | $227.0M | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $323.0M | $2.2B | ||
| Q3 25 | $54.0M | $2.3B | ||
| Q2 25 | $213.0M | $2.3B | ||
| Q1 25 | $-149.0M | $1.9B | ||
| Q4 24 | $262.0M | $2.0B | ||
| Q3 24 | $67.0M | $2.3B | ||
| Q2 24 | $367.0M | $2.0B |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | — | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 90.6% | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 90.4% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 89.6% | ||
| Q4 24 | — | — | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 90.6% | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 90.3% |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 5.3% | 45.0% | ||
| Q3 25 | 0.5% | 47.4% | ||
| Q2 25 | 3.1% | 47.2% | ||
| Q1 25 | -3.5% | 44.5% | ||
| Q4 24 | 4.0% | 44.9% | ||
| Q3 24 | 0.6% | 46.4% | ||
| Q2 24 | 5.4% | 45.0% |
| Q1 26 | 3.1% | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 4.3% | 30.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | 0.8% | 32.2% | ||
| Q2 25 | 2.9% | 32.9% | ||
| Q1 25 | -2.3% | 31.4% | ||
| Q4 24 | 3.8% | 31.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.0% | 32.8% | ||
| Q2 24 | 5.0% | 31.2% |
| Q1 26 | $0.45 | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $0.56 | $3.03 | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.10 | $3.18 | ||
| Q2 25 | $0.39 | $3.14 | ||
| Q1 25 | $-0.26 | $2.60 | ||
| Q4 24 | $0.46 | $2.80 | ||
| Q3 24 | $0.11 | $3.13 | ||
| Q2 24 | $0.58 | $2.80 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $3.3B | $774.0M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $5.4B | $40.0B |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $6.9B | $-1.8B |
| Total Assets | $20.4B | $59.5B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 0.78× | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | $3.3B | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $3.2B | $774.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $3.0B | $2.4B | ||
| Q2 25 | $3.8B | $1.9B | ||
| Q1 25 | $8.3B | $1.2B | ||
| Q4 24 | $8.7B | $1.1B | ||
| Q3 24 | $9.4B | $1.2B | ||
| Q2 24 | $10.0B | $792.0M |
| Q1 26 | $5.4B | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $4.6B | $40.0B | ||
| Q3 25 | $4.1B | — | ||
| Q2 25 | $4.1B | — | ||
| Q1 25 | $4.1B | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $5.1B | $38.4B | ||
| Q3 24 | $5.1B | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $5.1B | — |
| Q1 26 | $6.9B | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $8.0B | $-1.8B | ||
| Q3 25 | $7.8B | $-2.2B | ||
| Q2 25 | $8.0B | $-2.8B | ||
| Q1 25 | $9.4B | $-3.5B | ||
| Q4 24 | $10.3B | $-3.8B | ||
| Q3 24 | $10.4B | $-5.2B | ||
| Q2 24 | $10.5B | $-4.8B |
| Q1 26 | $20.4B | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $29.1B | $59.5B | ||
| Q3 25 | $28.3B | $60.6B | ||
| Q2 25 | $28.7B | $59.6B | ||
| Q1 25 | $33.2B | $56.3B | ||
| Q4 24 | $33.8B | $55.2B | ||
| Q3 24 | $34.8B | $56.2B | ||
| Q2 24 | $35.6B | $53.8B |
| Q1 26 | 0.78× | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 0.57× | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 0.52× | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.51× | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 0.44× | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.49× | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 0.49× | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 0.48× | — |
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 | $1.4B | $2.7B |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | — | $1.6B |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | — | 23.4% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 8.7% | 15.1% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | 6.25× | 1.25× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | — | $7.2B |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | $1.4B | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $294.0M | $2.7B | ||
| Q3 25 | $287.0M | $3.4B | ||
| Q2 25 | $401.0M | $2.0B | ||
| Q1 25 | $860.0M | $2.4B | ||
| Q4 24 | $476.0M | $2.6B | ||
| Q3 24 | $113.0M | $2.7B | ||
| Q2 24 | $-23.0M | $1.7B |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $-565.0M | $1.6B | ||
| Q3 25 | $-391.0M | $2.4B | ||
| Q2 25 | $-234.0M | $1.3B | ||
| Q1 25 | $359.0M | $1.9B | ||
| Q4 24 | $16.0M | $1.8B | ||
| Q3 24 | $-404.0M | $1.9B | ||
| Q2 24 | $-517.0M | $1.1B |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | -7.6% | 23.4% | ||
| Q3 25 | -5.6% | 34.1% | ||
| Q2 25 | -3.2% | 18.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | 5.6% | 31.5% | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.2% | 28.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | -5.9% | 28.3% | ||
| Q2 24 | -7.0% | 16.3% |
| Q1 26 | 8.7% | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 11.5% | 15.1% | ||
| Q3 25 | 9.8% | 14.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 8.8% | 10.9% | ||
| Q1 25 | 7.8% | 9.3% | ||
| Q4 24 | 6.6% | 12.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | 7.5% | 11.6% | ||
| Q2 24 | 6.7% | 9.7% |
| Q1 26 | 6.25× | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 0.91× | 1.25× | ||
| Q3 25 | 5.31× | 1.50× | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.88× | 0.89× | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 1.30× | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.82× | 1.30× | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.69× | 1.21× | ||
| Q2 24 | -0.06× | 0.84× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
LUV
| Passenger | $6.6B | 91% |
| Other | $614.0M | 8% |
| Freight | $44.0M | 1% |
MCD
| International Operated Markets | $3.6B | 51% |
| Other | $2.8B | 40% |
| International Developmental Licensed Marketsand Corporate | $633.0M | 9% |
