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Degree of Operating Leverage (DOL) measures the percentage change in EBIT for a unit change in Revenue.
Southwest Airlines Co's Degree of Operating Leverage for the quarter that ended in Jun. 2026 was 8.64. The higher Degree of Operating Leverage, the higher operating risk the company will take.
The industry rank for Southwest Airlines Co's Degree of Operating Leverage or its related term are showing as below:
FRA:SWN's Degree of Operating Leverage is ranked worse than 85.7% of 986
companies
in the Transportation industry
Industry Median: 1.035
vs FRA:SWN: 8.64
Southwest Airlines Co (FRA:SWN) Degree of Operating Leverage Explanation
Degree of Operating Leverage (DOL) is a leverage ratio that measures the sensitivity of a company’s operting income, also referred to as Earnings Before Interest and Taxes (EBIT), to fluctuations in its Revenue. DOL is a method used to quantify a company’s operating risk. This risk is related to the company's structure of variable costs and fixed costs. Since the fixed costs do not allow the company to adjust the operating costs, the operating risk rises with a higher fixed-to-variable costs proportion.
A high Degree of Operating Leverage indicates that the company’s fixed costs exceed its variable costs. By increasing the sales, the company can earn more profits. In addition, the company must be able to maintain relatively high sales to cover all fixed costs.
Be Aware
The use of operating leverage varies across different industries and business sectors, and the application of Degree of Operating Leverage (DOL) should be adjusted accordingly.
Southwest Airlines Co Degree of Operating Leverage Related Terms
Southwest Airlines Co Degree of Operating Leverage Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Southwest Airlines Co's Degree of Operating Leverage can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
Southwest Airlines Co Degree of Operating Leverage Chart
FRA:SWN vs AAL, UAL, CPA: Degree of Operating Leverage Comparison
For the Airlines subindustry, Southwest Airlines Co's Degree of Operating Leverage, along with its competitors' market caps and Degree of Operating Leverage data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
Southwest Airlines Co Degree of Operating Leverage vs Transportation Industry
For the Transportation industry and Industrials sector, Southwest Airlines Co's Degree of Operating Leverage distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Southwest Airlines Co's Degree of Operating Leverage falls into.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
** TTM data of EBIT and Revenue was used to calculate Degree of Operating Leverage.
*** Please be aware that the Degree of Operating Leverage calculations are based on company-level data using the primary share class. The calculated data provided is for demonstration purposes and may slightly differ from the results displayed in the title due to potential variations caused by currency exchange rate differences throughout the year.
What does a Degree of Operating Leverage of 8.64 mean?
Southwest Airlines Co (FRA:SWN) has a Degree of Operating Leverage of 8.64 as of Jun. 2026. Degree of Operating Leverage (DOL) measures the percentage change in EBIT for a unit change in Revenue. View historical data for Southwest Airlines Co and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, Southwest Airlines Co ranks #845 out of 986 companies in the Transportation industry, placing it in the top 85.7%.
Is Southwest Airlines Co's Degree of Operating Leverage too high?
Southwest Airlines Co's current Degree of Operating Leverage is 8.64. The Transportation industry median Degree of Operating Leverage is 1.04. Southwest Airlines Co's value of 8.64 is 734.8% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Southwest Airlines Co ranks #845 out of 986 companies in the Transportation industry, which is in the bottom quartile relative to peers. Overall, Southwest Airlines Co has a GF Score™ of 87/100 and is considered Fairly Valued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Southwest Airlines Co's Degree of Operating Leverage compare to AAL and UAL?
According to the Transportation industry distribution chart, Southwest Airlines Co ranks #845 out of 986 companies for Degree of Operating Leverage. This places Southwest Airlines Co in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Degree of Operating Leverage is 1.04. Southwest Airlines Co's value of 8.64 is 734.8% above this benchmark. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Degree of Operating Leverage for a Transportation company?
The median Degree of Operating Leverage among Transportation companies is 1.04, based on 986 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Degree of Operating Leverage significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Degree of Operating Leverage should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Southwest Airlines Co's current Degree of Operating Leverage of 8.64 is 734.8% above the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Degree of Operating Leverage mean?
A high Degree of Operating Leverage can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Degree of Operating Leverage (DOL) measures the percentage change in EBIT for a unit change in Revenue. View historical data for Southwest Airlines Co and its competitors. For the Transportation industry, the median Degree of Operating Leverage is 1.04 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Southwest Airlines Co's current Degree of Operating Leverage is 8.64. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Southwest Airlines Co stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Southwest Airlines Co (FRA:SWN) is currently considered Fairly Valued. The stock's GF Value™ is €37.41, compared to a current price of €34.11 — trading 8.8% below its estimated fair value. The current Degree of Operating Leverage is 8.64 and 734.8% above the Transportation industry median of 1.04. Southwest Airlines Co's overall GF Score™ is 87/100 with 2 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Degree of Operating Leverage calculated?
Degree of Operating Leverage is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Southwest Airlines Co (FRA:SWN), the current Degree of Operating Leverage is 8.64 as of Jun. 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is Southwest Airlines Co (FRA:SWN) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Southwest Airlines Co stock appears to be undervalued.
The current stock price of €34.11 is trading 8.8% below its estimated GF Value™ of €37.41.
GuruFocus considers Southwest Airlines Co to be Fairly Valued.
Key valuation signals for FRA:SWN:
Degree of Operating Leverage: 8.64
GF Value™: €37.41 vs. price of €34.11 (8.8% below fair value)
Industry Position: 734.8% above the Transportation median (#845 of 986)
No single metric tells the full story. See the FRA:SWN stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Southwest Airlines is the largest domestic air carrier in the United States by passengers boarded. Southwest operates nearly 800 aircraft in an all-Boeing 737 fleet. Despite offering some longer routes and a few perks for business travelers, the airline predominantly specializes in short-haul, leisure flights operated with a simple cabin configuration in a point-to-point network. In early 2026, Southwest modified its cabins to offer some rows with extra legroom, its ticketing process and merchandising to offer assigned seats, and more fare categories to include a basic economy class that appears for the first time in travel aggregators' search results and more directly competes with other airlines' offerings.
87GF Score
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