Balance Sheet: Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity
Quarterly Data
The balance sheet provides creditors, investors, and analysts with information on company resources (assets) and its sources of capital (its equity and liabilities). It normally also provides information about the future earnings capacity of a company assets as well as an indication of cash flows that may come from receivables and inventories.
Liabilities represents obligations of a company arising from past events, the settlement of which is expected to result in an outflow of economic benefits from the entity.
United Airlines Holdings Inc., consolidated balance sheet: liabilities and stockholders’ equity (quarterly data)
US$ in millions
Based on: 10-Q (reporting date: 2026-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2026-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2026-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2025-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2024-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2023-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2022-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2021-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-03-31).
The financial position of the entity exhibits a significant expansion of the balance sheet and a substantial strengthening of the equity base over the period from March 2021 to September 2026. Total liabilities and stockholders' equity grew from 61.6 billion USD to 85.1 billion USD, driven by a combination of increased operational liabilities and a robust recovery in retained earnings.
- Current Liabilities and Operational Obligations
- A consistent upward trend is observed in current liabilities, which rose from 14.1 billion USD in March 2021 to 26.6 billion USD by September 2026. This growth is primarily attributed to a steady increase in accounts payable and advance ticket sales. Advance ticket sales, in particular, showed significant growth, peaking at 11.6 billion USD in March 2026, reflecting higher consumer demand and booking activity. Additionally, current frequent flyer deferred revenue grew steadily from 1.2 billion USD to 4.0 billion USD, indicating an expansion of the loyalty program's obligations.
- Long-Term Debt and Noncurrent Liabilities
- Long-term debt, finance leases, and other financial liabilities experienced an overall decline from a peak of 34.2 billion USD in June 2021 to a low of 20.5 billion USD in September 2024, before trending upward again to 24.5 billion USD by September 2026. Concurrently, long-term obligations under operating leases exhibited a late-stage increase, rising from 4.9 billion USD in 2021 to 6.9 billion USD by the end of the period. A notable shift is observed in deferred income taxes, which grew from negligible amounts in early 2021 to 3.09 billion USD by September 2026.
- Stockholders' Equity and Retained Earnings
- Stockholders' equity demonstrated the most significant positive transformation, increasing from 5.2 billion USD in March 2021 to 17.7 billion USD in September 2026. This growth was driven almost exclusively by the trajectory of retained earnings. After experiencing volatility and a period of accumulated deficit in early 2022, retained earnings transitioned into a sustained growth phase, climbing to 12.5 billion USD by September 2026. This suggests a period of consistent profitability and capital retention.
- Pension and Other Liability Trends
- A clear downward trend is evident in pension and postretirement benefit liabilities, which decreased from 3.4 billion USD in March 2021 to 825 million USD by September 2026. This reduction indicates either the settlement of obligations or favorable adjustments in actuarial assumptions. Other noncurrent liabilities remained relatively stable, fluctuating within a narrow range between 1.2 billion USD and 1.5 billion USD throughout the observed timeframe.
Overall, the transition from a highly leveraged position toward a more equity-heavy capital structure is apparent. The combination of reducing long-term debt (relative to the 2021 peak) and the aggressive accumulation of retained earnings has improved the entity's solvency profile and financial resilience.
AI Ask an analyst for more
Hi, I’m an AI-powered financial analyst at Stock Analysis on Net.
Without a user account, I tend to respond rather slowly.
How can I help you?