NORFOLK SOUTHERN CORP vs UNION PACIFIC CORP, two Railroads stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where NSC and UNP diverge most: on revenue growth, NSC reads +0.6% and UNP reads +1.9%; on return on equity, NSC reads 16.9% and UNP reads 37.1%. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. On valuation, today's NSC price has a different growth bar priced in than UNP (+15.1% implied for NSC vs +10.0% for UNP); the higher figure is the steeper assumption to clear, not a better or worse stock. What NSC's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (whole-company basis). What UNP's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (whole-company basis). The bull and bear cases for each are in their full reports below.
| Metric | NSC | UNP |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $327.44 | $286.98 |
| Market cap | $73.7B | $170.4B |
| Sector | Railroads | Railroads |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +15.1% | +10.0% |
| P/E | 27.6 | 23.6 |
| P/B | 4.66 | 8.77 |
| P/S | 6.05 | 6.90 |
| EV/EBITDA | 16.2 | 16.1 |
| Revenue growth | +0.6% | +1.9% |
| Operating margin | 29.3% | 39.5% |
| Net margin | 21.9% | 29.2% |
| Return on equity | 16.9% | 37.1% |
| Return on assets | 5.9% | 10.4% |
| Return on invested capital | 9.7% | 15.4% |
| FCF yield | 2.2% | 3.3% |
| Dividend yield | 1.6% | 1.9% |
| Debt / equity | 1.04 | 1.53 |
| Current ratio | 0.91 | 0.92 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 2.25 | 3.91 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 6 / 9 | 8 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.