Stock Analysis on Net

American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ:AAL)

$22.49

This company has been moved to the archive! The financial data has not been updated since February 21, 2024.

Economic Value Added (EVA)

Microsoft Excel

EVA is registered trademark of Stern Stewart.

Economic value added or economic profit is the difference between revenues and costs,where costs include not only expenses, but also cost of capital.

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Economic Profit

American Airlines Group Inc., economic profit calculation

US$ in millions

Microsoft Excel
12 months ended: Dec 31, 2023 Dec 31, 2022 Dec 31, 2021 Dec 31, 2020 Dec 31, 2019
Net operating profit after taxes (NOPAT)1
Cost of capital2
Invested capital3
 
Economic profit4

Based on: 10-K (reporting date: 2023-12-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2022-12-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2021-12-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2020-12-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2019-12-31).

1 NOPAT. See details »

2 Cost of capital. See details »

3 Invested capital. See details »

4 2023 Calculation
Economic profit = NOPAT – Cost of capital × Invested capital
= × =


Net Operating Profit After Taxes (NOPAT)
The NOPAT value exhibited a significant decline from 3,350 million USD in 2019 to a negative 10,143 million USD in 2020, reflecting a substantial operational loss likely due to adverse conditions. In 2021, the loss decreased to 736 million USD, indicating partial recovery but still below profitability. This trend continued positively with a return to profit in 2022 amounting to 2,040 million USD and further improvement to 2,815 million USD in 2023.
Cost of Capital
The cost of capital showed minor fluctuations over the period, starting at 7.76% in 2019, declining slightly to 7.2% in 2021, then rising to 8.17% by 2023. This upward trend from 2021 onwards suggests increasing capital costs possibly due to market risks or changes in company risk profile.
Invested Capital
Invested capital decreased from 35,495 million USD in 2019 to 29,074 million USD in 2021, indicating asset reduction or divestment during this period. Subsequently, it slightly increased to 30,859 million USD in 2022 before a marginal decrease to 30,476 million USD in 2023. Overall, invested capital shows a contraction from 2019 levels with some stabilization in recent years.
Economic Profit
Economic profit reflected a pattern consistent with NOPAT trends but with more pronounced negative values. It was positive at 596 million USD in 2019 but plummeted to a significant loss of 12,531 million USD in 2020. Improvements followed, narrowing losses to 2,829 million USD in 2021 and to 457 million USD in 2022. In 2023, economic profit returned to a small positive value of 325 million USD, signaling recovery in value generation relative to capital costs.
Summary of Trends
The financial data reveals a sharp operational and economic downturn in 2020, likely due to extraordinary circumstances affecting profitability and value creation. The company exhibited gradual recovery from 2021 onwards, improving NOPAT and economic profit and stabilizing invested capital. The increasing cost of capital in recent years indicates a rising financing cost environment. Despite improvements, economic profit remains modest in 2023, suggesting cautious optimism towards sustained value generation.

Net Operating Profit after Taxes (NOPAT)

American Airlines Group Inc., NOPAT calculation

US$ in millions

Microsoft Excel
12 months ended: Dec 31, 2023 Dec 31, 2022 Dec 31, 2021 Dec 31, 2020 Dec 31, 2019
Net income (loss)
Deferred income tax expense (benefit)1
Increase (decrease) in equity equivalents2
Interest expense, net
Interest expense, operating lease liability3
Adjusted interest expense, net
Tax benefit of interest expense, net4
Adjusted interest expense, net, after taxes5
Interest income
Investment income, before taxes
Tax expense (benefit) of investment income6
Investment income, after taxes7
Net operating profit after taxes (NOPAT)

Based on: 10-K (reporting date: 2023-12-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2022-12-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2021-12-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2020-12-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2019-12-31).

1 Elimination of deferred tax expense. See details »

2 Addition of increase (decrease) in equity equivalents to net income (loss).

3 2023 Calculation
Interest expense on capitalized operating leases = Operating lease liability × Discount rate
= × =

4 2023 Calculation
Tax benefit of interest expense, net = Adjusted interest expense, net × Statutory income tax rate
= × 21.00% =

5 Addition of after taxes interest expense to net income (loss).

6 2023 Calculation
Tax expense (benefit) of investment income = Investment income, before tax × Statutory income tax rate
= × 21.00% =

7 Elimination of after taxes investment income.


Net Income (Loss)
The net income experienced a substantial decline from a profit of 1,686 million USD in 2019 to a significant loss of 8,885 million USD in 2020. This negative trend continued with a loss of 1,993 million USD in 2021. However, the company showed a recovery trend starting in 2022, reporting a slight profit of 127 million USD, which further increased to 822 million USD in 2023. This indicates a recovery phase following the sharp downturn experienced in 2020 and 2021.
Net Operating Profit After Taxes (NOPAT)
The NOPAT followed a pattern similar to net income. It declined from 3,350 million USD in 2019 to a substantial loss of 10,143 million USD in 2020. Although the loss narrowed in 2021 to 736 million USD, the company returned to profitability in 2022 with 2,040 million USD and further increased profitability to 2,815 million USD in 2023. This improvement suggests enhanced operating efficiency and effective cost management efforts post-2021.
Overall Trends and Insights
Both profitability metrics highlight a severe impact on financial performance during 2020 and 2021, likely indicative of broad industry or economic challenges during that period. The subsequent years show a gradual but steady recovery in operational and net profitability. The profit levels in 2023, while improved compared to the losses in 2020 and 2021, have not yet returned to the high levels seen in 2019. This recovery trajectory suggests resilience and a positive outlook but indicates that full pre-crisis profitability has not been fully restored as of 2023.

Cash Operating Taxes

American Airlines Group Inc., cash operating taxes calculation

US$ in millions

Microsoft Excel
12 months ended: Dec 31, 2023 Dec 31, 2022 Dec 31, 2021 Dec 31, 2020 Dec 31, 2019
Income tax provision (benefit)
Less: Deferred income tax expense (benefit)
Add: Tax savings from interest expense, net
Less: Tax imposed on investment income
Cash operating taxes

Based on: 10-K (reporting date: 2023-12-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2022-12-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2021-12-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2020-12-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2019-12-31).


Income Tax Provision (Benefit)

The income tax provision exhibited significant volatility over the five-year period. In 2019, it was a positive figure of $570 million, indicating tax expense for that year. However, in 2020, there was a notable shift to a substantial tax benefit of -$2,568 million, reflecting either tax credits, losses, or adjustments that reduced tax liabilities significantly. In 2021, the income tax provision remained negative at -$555 million, though the magnitude of the tax benefit decreased compared to 2020.

Beginning in 2022, the figure reverted to a positive income tax provision, indicating tax expense of $59 million, and then increased to $299 million in 2023. This trend suggests a recovery or return to profitability whereby the company is liable for taxes again after consecutive benefit years.

Cash Operating Taxes

Cash operating taxes increased steadily from $303 million in 2019 to $348 million in 2020, followed by further increases to $482 million in 2021 and peaking at $485 million in 2022. There was a slight decline to $450 million in 2023.

This pattern indicates that despite variations in reported income tax provision, cash taxes paid have generally risen over the period, suggesting ongoing tax obligations tied to operational profits or other taxable activities independent from accounting income tax expense or benefits. The slight decline in the final year could imply adjustments in taxable income, changes in tax planning, or other operational modifications affecting cash tax outflows.


Invested Capital

American Airlines Group Inc., invested capital calculation (financing approach)

US$ in millions

Microsoft Excel
Dec 31, 2023 Dec 31, 2022 Dec 31, 2021 Dec 31, 2020 Dec 31, 2019
Current maturities of long-term debt and finance leases
Long-term debt and finance leases, net of current maturities
Operating lease liability1
Total reported debt & leases
Stockholders’ deficit
Net deferred tax (assets) liabilities2
Equity equivalents3
Accumulated other comprehensive (income) loss, net of tax4
Adjusted stockholders’ deficit
Short-term investments5
Invested capital

Based on: 10-K (reporting date: 2023-12-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2022-12-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2021-12-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2020-12-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2019-12-31).

1 Addition of capitalized operating leases.

2 Elimination of deferred taxes from assets and liabilities. See details »

3 Addition of equity equivalents to stockholders’ deficit.

4 Removal of accumulated other comprehensive income.

5 Subtraction of short-term investments.


The financial data reveals several important trends regarding debt, equity position, and invested capital over the five-year period.

Total Reported Debt & Leases
The total reported debt and leases show an overall increasing trend from 2019 through 2021, rising from $33.4 billion to $46.2 billion. This suggests significant additional borrowing or lease obligations during this time. However, in the subsequent years 2022 and 2023, the debt level decreased to $43.7 billion and then to $40.7 billion, respectively. This indicates a deleveraging phase following the peak in 2021, possibly reflecting efforts to reduce leverage or repayments of obligations.
Stockholders’ Deficit
The stockholders’ deficit worsened dramatically from a minor negative $118 million in 2019 to substantial deficits of approximately $6.9 billion and $7.3 billion in 2020 and 2021, respectively. After peaking in 2021, the deficit began a gradual improvement, declining to about $5.8 billion in 2022 and further to $5.2 billion in 2023. This trend indicates that while the company faced heavy equity erosion likely due to losses or impairments during 2020-2021, it started to stabilize or recover its equity base in the following years.
Invested Capital
Invested capital decreased steadily from $35.5 billion in 2019 to $29.1 billion in 2021, reflecting contraction or write-downs in invested assets or net working capital components. From 2021 onwards, invested capital showed a modest recovery, increasing to $30.9 billion in 2022 before slightly declining to $30.5 billion in 2023. This pattern suggests some stabilization or reinvestment activities after the initial decline.

Overall, the data signals a company that expanded its debt significantly in the early years of the period analyzed, likely under challenging conditions around 2020 and 2021, as reflected by the sharply increased deficit and reduced invested capital. The trend reverses partially after 2021, with reductions in debt and improvements in equity deficit indicating a phase of financial repair and stabilization. The relatively stable invested capital in later years suggests cautious reinvestment or asset base recovery.


Cost of Capital

American Airlines Group Inc., cost of capital calculations

Capital (fair value)1 Weights Cost of capital
Equity2 ÷ = × =
Long-term debt and finance lease liabilities, including current maturities3 ÷ = × × (1 – 21.00%) =
Operating lease liability4 ÷ = × × (1 – 21.00%) =
Total:

Based on: 10-K (reporting date: 2023-12-31).

1 US$ in millions

2 Equity. See details »

3 Long-term debt and finance lease liabilities, including current maturities. See details »

4 Operating lease liability. See details »

Capital (fair value)1 Weights Cost of capital
Equity2 ÷ = × =
Long-term debt and finance lease liabilities, including current maturities3 ÷ = × × (1 – 21.00%) =
Operating lease liability4 ÷ = × × (1 – 21.00%) =
Total:

Based on: 10-K (reporting date: 2022-12-31).

1 US$ in millions

2 Equity. See details »

3 Long-term debt and finance lease liabilities, including current maturities. See details »

4 Operating lease liability. See details »

Capital (fair value)1 Weights Cost of capital
Equity2 ÷ = × =
Long-term debt and finance lease liabilities, including current maturities3 ÷ = × × (1 – 21.00%) =
Operating lease liability4 ÷ = × × (1 – 21.00%) =
Total:

Based on: 10-K (reporting date: 2021-12-31).

1 US$ in millions

2 Equity. See details »

3 Long-term debt and finance lease liabilities, including current maturities. See details »

4 Operating lease liability. See details »

Capital (fair value)1 Weights Cost of capital
Equity2 ÷ = × =
Long-term debt and finance lease liabilities, including current maturities3 ÷ = × × (1 – 21.00%) =
Operating lease liability4 ÷ = × × (1 – 21.00%) =
Total:

Based on: 10-K (reporting date: 2020-12-31).

1 US$ in millions

2 Equity. See details »

3 Long-term debt and finance lease liabilities, including current maturities. See details »

4 Operating lease liability. See details »

Capital (fair value)1 Weights Cost of capital
Equity2 ÷ = × =
Long-term debt and finance lease liabilities, including current maturities3 ÷ = × × (1 – 21.00%) =
Operating lease liability4 ÷ = × × (1 – 21.00%) =
Total:

Based on: 10-K (reporting date: 2019-12-31).

1 US$ in millions

2 Equity. See details »

3 Long-term debt and finance lease liabilities, including current maturities. See details »

4 Operating lease liability. See details »


Economic Spread Ratio

American Airlines Group Inc., economic spread ratio calculation, comparison to benchmarks

Microsoft Excel
Dec 31, 2023 Dec 31, 2022 Dec 31, 2021 Dec 31, 2020 Dec 31, 2019
Selected Financial Data (US$ in millions)
Economic profit1
Invested capital2
Performance Ratio
Economic spread ratio3
Benchmarks
Economic Spread Ratio, Competitors4
FedEx Corp.
Uber Technologies Inc.
Union Pacific Corp.
United Airlines Holdings Inc.
United Parcel Service Inc.

Based on: 10-K (reporting date: 2023-12-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2022-12-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2021-12-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2020-12-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2019-12-31).

1 Economic profit. See details »

2 Invested capital. See details »

3 2023 Calculation
Economic spread ratio = 100 × Economic profit ÷ Invested capital
= 100 × ÷ =

4 Click competitor name to see calculations.


Economic Profit
Economic profit showed a significant decline from a positive value of 596 million US dollars at the end of 2019 to a substantial negative value of -12,531 million US dollars by the end of 2020. This sharp drop indicates a severe decrease in profitability likely influenced by extraordinary circumstances during that period. Following 2020, there was a partial recovery, with the economic profit improving to -2,829 million in 2021 and further reducing its negative magnitude to -457 million by the end of 2022. By the end of 2023, the economic profit turned positive again, registering 325 million US dollars, which suggests a return toward profitability but still below the 2019 level.
Invested Capital
Invested capital declined from 35,495 million US dollars in 2019 to 31,408 million US dollars in 2020, and further to 29,074 million in 2021. This downward trend signals a reduction in the company’s capital base during the initial years. In the subsequent years, 2022 and 2023, invested capital stabilized around 30,000 million US dollars, at 30,859 million and 30,476 million respectively, indicating a halt in the contraction of capital and an attempt at capital restoration or stabilization.
Economic Spread Ratio
The economic spread ratio experienced a drastic decrease from a positive 1.68% in 2019 to a negative -39.9% in 2020, reflecting a severe erosion in value generation relative to invested capital. This ratio partially recovered in 2021 to -9.73% and further improved to -1.48% by the end of 2022. The ratio became positive again in 2023 at 1.07%, indicating a return to value creation, yet still slightly below the 2019 peak.

Economic Profit Margin

American Airlines Group Inc., economic profit margin calculation, comparison to benchmarks

Microsoft Excel
Dec 31, 2023 Dec 31, 2022 Dec 31, 2021 Dec 31, 2020 Dec 31, 2019
Selected Financial Data (US$ in millions)
Economic profit1
Operating revenues
Performance Ratio
Economic profit margin2
Benchmarks
Economic Profit Margin, Competitors3
FedEx Corp.
Uber Technologies Inc.
Union Pacific Corp.
United Airlines Holdings Inc.
United Parcel Service Inc.

Based on: 10-K (reporting date: 2023-12-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2022-12-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2021-12-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2020-12-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2019-12-31).

1 Economic profit. See details »

2 2023 Calculation
Economic profit margin = 100 × Economic profit ÷ Operating revenues
= 100 × ÷ =

3 Click competitor name to see calculations.


Operating Revenues
Operating revenues experienced a significant decline from 2019 to 2020, dropping from 45,768 million USD to 17,337 million USD. This represents a substantial contraction likely influenced by external economic factors. Following this decline, revenues demonstrated a robust recovery trend, increasing to 29,882 million USD in 2021, and continuing to rise sharply to 48,971 million USD in 2022. By 2023, operating revenues further increased to 52,788 million USD, surpassing the pre-decline level recorded in 2019.
Economic Profit
The economic profit followed a parallel pattern to operating revenues but with more pronounced fluctuations. In 2019, the economic profit was positive at 596 million USD. However, in 2020, it dramatically dropped to a negative 12,531 million USD, reflecting significant losses. The following years showed improvement, with losses reduced to 2,829 million USD in 2021 and further narrowed to 457 million USD in 2022. By 2023, economic profit returned to a positive territory at 325 million USD, indicating a recovery from the prior negative phases.
Economic Profit Margin
The economic profit margin mirrors the trend of economic profit values. In 2019, the margin was slightly positive at 1.3%. It plunged sharply in 2020 to negative 72.28%, indicating considerable inefficiency or operating losses relative to revenue. The margin improved in 2021 to negative 9.47%, further recovering to negative 0.93% in 2022. By 2023, the margin moved back into positive territory at 0.62%, signifying a gradual restoration of profitability relative to the revenue base.