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 return on equity, NSC reads 16.2% and UNP reads 35.5%; on p/b, NSC reads 4.65 and UNP reads 8.39. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. On valuation, today's NSC price has a different growth bar priced in than UNP (+16.8% implied for NSC vs +10.3% 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). The bull and bear cases for each are in their full reports below.
| Metric | NSC | UNP |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $335.65 | $292.15 |
| Market cap | $75.5B | $173.5B |
| Sector | Railroads | Railroads |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +16.8% | +10.3% |
| P/E | 28.6 | 23.6 |
| P/B | 4.65 | 8.39 |
| P/S | 6.02 | 6.83 |
| EV/EBITDA | 16.6 | 15.8 |
| Revenue growth | +2.9% | +4.2% |
| Operating margin | 32.4% | 40.3% |
| Net margin | 21.0% | 28.9% |
| Return on equity | 16.2% | 35.5% |
| Return on assets | 5.8% | 10.3% |
| Return on invested capital | 9.6% | 16.0% |
| FCF yield | 2.2% | 3.8% |
| Dividend yield | 1.6% | 1.9% |
| Debt / equity | 0.98 | 1.40 |
| Current ratio | 0.83 | 0.99 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 2.35 | 3.95 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 7 / 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.