Sifting through countless of stocks in the Passenger Airlines industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Delta Air Lines, Inc. or Ryanair Holdings plc because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Delta Air Lines, Inc. and Ryanair Holdings plc compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Delta Air Lines, Inc. and Ryanair Holdings plc

Delta Air Lines, Inc. provides scheduled air transportation for passengers and cargo in the United States and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Airline and Refinery. Its domestic network centered on core hubs in Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and Salt Lake City, as well as coastal hub positions in Boston, Los Angeles, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, and Seattle; and international network centered on hubs and market presence in Amsterdam, Bogota, Lima, Mexico City, London-Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Santiago (Chile), Sao Paulo, Seoul-Incheon, and Tokyo. It also provides aircraft maintenance and engineering support, repair, and overhaul services; and vacation packages. The company operates through a fleet of approximately 1,314 aircraft. Delta Air Lines, Inc. was founded in 1924 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

Ryanair Holdings plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of scheduled-passenger airline services in Ireland, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and internationally. It offers various ancillary services; engages in other activities connected with its air passenger service, including non-flight scheduled and Internet-related services, as well as in-flight sale of beverages, food, duty-free, and merchandise; and markets car hire, travel insurance, and accommodation services through its website and mobile app. The company also provides passenger and aircraft handling, ticketing, and maintenance and repair services; and markets car parking, fast-track, airport transfers, attractions, and activities on its website and mobile app, as well as sells gift vouchers. Ryanair Holdings plc was incorporated in 1996 and is headquartered in Swords, Ireland.

Latest Passenger Airlines and Delta Air Lines, Inc., Ryanair Holdings plc Stock News

As of July 31, 2026, Delta Air Lines, Inc. had a $57.2 billion market capitalization, compared to the Passenger Airlines median of $5.5 million. Delta Air Lines, Inc.’s stock is up 26% in 2026, up 2.8% in the previous five trading days and up 63.13% in the past year.

Currently, Delta Air Lines, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 14.5. Delta Air Lines, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $68.3 billion with a 5.8% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 18.7%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $6.631 per share for the current fiscal year. Delta Air Lines, Inc. currently has a 1.0% dividend yield.

Currently, Ryanair Holdings plc’s price-earnings ratio is 28.7. Ryanair Holdings plc’s trailing 12-month revenue is $17.8 billion with a 12.1% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was -1.7%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $3.990 per share for the current fiscal year. Ryanair Holdings plc currently has a 1.5% dividend yield.

How We Compare Delta Air Lines, Inc. and Ryanair Holdings plc Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Delta Air Lines, Inc. and Ryanair Holdings plc’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Delta Air Lines, Inc. and Ryanair Holdings plc’s Quality Grades

Company	Ticker	Quality
Delta Air Lines, Inc.	DAL	C
Ryanair Holdings plc	RYAA.Y	A

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a Quality Score of 58, which is Average. Ryanair Holdings plc has a Quality Score of 97, which is Very Strong.

The Quality Grade Winner: Ryanair Holdings plc

As you can clearly see from the Quality Grade breakdown above, Ryanair Holdings plc has a better overall quality grade than Delta Air Lines, Inc.. For investors who are looking for companies with higher quality than others in the same industry, Ryanair Holdings plc could be a good stock to add to their portfolios. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Delta Air Lines, Inc. and Ryanair Holdings plc’s Momentum Grades

Company	Ticker	Momentum
Delta Air Lines, Inc.	DAL	A
Ryanair Holdings plc	RYAA.Y	C

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a Momentum Score of 85, which is Very Strong. Ryanair Holdings plc has a Momentum Score of 43, which is Average.

The Momentum Grade Winner: Delta Air Lines, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Momentum Grade breakdown above, Delta Air Lines, Inc. is considered to have stronger momentum compared to Ryanair Holdings plc. For those specifically looking for companies that have stronger momentum compared to other companies in the same industry, Delta Air Lines, Inc. could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Delta Air Lines, Inc. and Ryanair Holdings plc’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company	Ticker	Earnings Estimate
Delta Air Lines, Inc.	DAL	B
Ryanair Holdings plc	RYAA.Y	D

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 69, which is Positive. Ryanair Holdings plc has a Earnings Estimate Score of 28, which is Negative.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade Winner: Delta Air Lines, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade breakdown above, Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a better Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade than Ryanair Holdings plc. For those who are specifically looking for companies with better short-term prospects when compared to other companies in the same industry, Delta Air Lines, Inc. could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Other Delta Air Lines, Inc. and Ryanair Holdings plc Grades

In addition to Momentum, Quality and Estimate Revisions, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Growth.

Growth investing builds on the idea that stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth outperform those of slower-growth companies. AAII measures growth through consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations.

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Delta Air Lines, Inc. and Ryanair Holdings plc pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Delta Air Lines, Inc. or Ryanair Holdings plc Stock?

Overall, Delta Air Lines, Inc. stock has a Momentum Score of 85, Estimate Revisions Score of 69 and Quality Score of 58.

Ryanair Holdings plc stock has a Momentum Score of 43, Estimate Revisions Score of 28 and Quality Score of 97.

Comparing Delta Air Lines, Inc. and Ryanair Holdings plc’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.