CP vs NSC vs CSANY Stock Comparison

Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Norfolk Southern and Cosan Prices as of Oct 29, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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NSC Norfolk Southern Corp
$342.19 +9.2% 1M +22.4% 1Y
Market cap
$76.86B
P/E
28.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$12.96B
Div. yield
1.58%
Railroads Industrials
5 wins
CSANY Cosan S.A.
$1.76 -37.4% 1M -61.0% 1Y
Market cap
$1.75B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$7.59B
Div. yield
–
Integrated Oil and Gas Energy
3 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Norfolk Southern leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Norfolk Southern 5, Canadian Pacific Kansas City 4, Cosan 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCPNSCCSANYLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $77.69B $76.86B $1.75B CP
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 28.1x 28.6x -0.7x CP
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 22.6x 28.0x — CP
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +7.3% +6.0% -0.9% CP
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months — 20.7% -21.9% NSC
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — 9.7% 129.2% CSANY
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — 2.7x -0.3x CSANY
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 1.13% 1.58% — NSC
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +20.8% +22.4% -61.0% NSC
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +2.7%/yr +3.2%/yr -34.0%/yr NSC
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 22.7% 21.0% 90.7% NSC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 31/100 33/100 46/100 CSANY

Percentile Scorecard

CPNSCCSANY

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisCPNSCCSANY
Valuation 12 #120 of 136 9 #124 of 136 87 #14 of 99
Growth 54 #56 of 121 43 #70 of 121 14 #84 of 97
Profitability 42 #65 of 112 63 #42 of 112 45 #53 of 96
Financial Health – 30 #98 of 140 65 #36 of 102
Shareholder Returns 14 #69 of 80 19 #65 of 80 17 #64 of 77
Overall 31 33 46
  • CP ranked among 150 companies in Transportation
  • NSC ranked among 150 companies in Transportation
  • CSANY ranked among 103 companies in Oil and Gas Upstream

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodCPNSCCSANYSPY
1 month +2.1%+9.2%-37.4% +0.7%
3 months +0.3%+2.5%-44.3% +3.7%
6 months +1.6%+8.3%-56.3% +7.1%
Year to date +20.0%+18.5%-55.4% +12.8%
1 year +20.8%+22.4%-61.0% +11.9%
3 years +24.4%+82.4%-85.9% +85.2%
3 years, per year +7.6%+22.2%-48.0% +22.8%
5 years +14.2%+16.8%-87.4% +67.6%
5 years, per year +2.7%+3.2%-34.0% +10.9%
10 years +206.6%+270.9%— +262.0%
10 years, per year +11.9%+14.0%— +13.7%

Risk

MeasureCPNSCCSANYSPY
Volatility, 1Y 22.7%21.0%90.7% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 22.0%20.3%107.9% 12.6%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.460.191.15 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.921.07-0.67 0.94
Max drawdown, 5Y -26.5%-38.0%-91.4% -25.4%
From 52-week high -8.6%-3.1%-67.7% -1.2%
52-week high $96.69$352.99$5.45 $779.14
52-week low $68.88$278.19$1.76 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleCPNSCCSANY
P/E now vs peer median 28.1xmedian 16.5x 28.6xmedian 16.5x -0.7xmedian 11.9x
P/S now vs peer median 6.7xmedian 0.9x 5.9xmedian 0.9x 0.2xmedian 2.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median —median 8.8x 16.7xmedian 8.8x 0.3xmedian 5.9x
P/FCF now vs peer median 43.3xmedian 11.9x 46.7xmedian 11.9x 1.7xmedian 10.0x
P/B now vs peer median 2.4xmedian 1.2x 4.6xmedian 1.2x 0.3xmedian 1.5x
PEG now vs peer median -15.56median 0.84 3.19median 0.84 0.01median 1.36

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsCPNSCCSANY
Revenue $11.54B $12.96B $7.59B
Gross profit – – $2.62B
Operating income $4.20B $4.09B $1.96B
Net income $2.78B $2.68B -$1.37B
Free cash flow – $1.65B $1.01B
EPS (diluted) $3.14 $11.92 $-2.68
Cash & equivalents $281.16M $1.60B $2.58B
Total debt – $16.61B $1.70B
Shares (diluted) 887.10M 225.20M 617.57M
Enterprise value $78.38B $71.32B -$4.09B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricCPNSCCSANY
P/E 28.1x 28.6x -0.7x
P/FCF 43.3x 46.7x 1.7x
P/Operating cash flow 18.7x 20.3x 0.7x
P/S 6.7x 5.9x 0.2x
P/B 2.4x 4.6x 0.3x
P/Tangible book 2.5x 4.6x 1.7x
EV/EBITDA – 16.7x 0.3x
EV/EBIT – 22.5x 0.4x
EV/Revenue 6.7x 7.1x 0.1x
EV/FCF – 55.8x 0.9x
EV/Operating cash flow 18.7x 24.3x 0.3x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -15.56 3.19 0.01

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCPNSCCSANY
Revenue growth (1Y) 7.3% 6.0% -0.9%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 11.4% 1.7% -20.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) – – 4.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – – -10.5%
Operating income growth (1Y) 5.7% -10.2% 52.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 12.9% 8.2% -8.8%
Net income growth (1Y) -8.8% -9.4% 19.5%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -3.5% 8.7% -61.8%
EPS growth (1Y) -6.3% -9.6% -169.9%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -1.8% 9.0% -74.8%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 5.9% -11.0% -18.5%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 7.5% 4.6% -11.2%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) – -21.5% -69.1%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) – 13.0% -43.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCPNSCCSANY
Gross margin – – 34.5%
EBITDA margin – 42.5% 35.6%
Operating margin – 31.5% 25.9%
Pretax margin – 26.4% -15.0%
Net margin – 20.7% -21.9%
FCF margin – 12.7% 13.3%
Operating cash flow margin 36.1% 29.2% 33.1%
Return on equity 8.4% 16.3% -26.1%
Return on assets 4.4% 5.9% -6.3%
Return on invested capital – 9.7% 129.2%
Return on capital employed – 9.8% 8.5%
Asset turnover 0.2x 0.3x 0.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.5x 1.4x -1.8x
Stock comp / revenue – – 0.2%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCPNSCCSANY
Debt / assets – 36.2% 6.9%
Debt / equity – 1.0x 0.3x
Net debt / EBITDA – 2.7x -0.3x
Debt / FCF – 10.1x 1.7x
Liabilities / assets 47.7% 63.6% 74.8%
Equity / assets 52.3% 36.4% 25.2%
Interest coverage – 5.2x 1.3x
Current ratio – 0.9x –
Quick ratio – 0.8x 3.4x
Cash ratio – 0.4x 2.4x
Altman Z-score – 2.58 –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCPNSCCSANY
Dividend yield 1.1% 1.6% –
Net buyback yield – 0.0% -4.2%
Shareholder yield 1.1% 1.6% -4.2%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 45.2% –
Payout ratio (FCF) – 73.6% –
Dividend growth (1Y) – -0.4% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 0.2% –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusCPNSCCSANY
Forward P/E 22.6xFY2026 28.0xFY2026 –
EPS, next fiscal year $3.91FY2026 $12.23FY2026 $-0.01FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +16.4%FY2026 -2.1%FY2026 –
EPS growth, the year after +12.8% +24.4% –
Revenue, next fiscal year $12.51BFY2026 $14.12BFY2026 $7.67BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +13.9%FY2026 +15.9%FY2026 -2.0%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -3.3% +2.7% +21.1%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCPNSCCSANY
Held by institutions 69.7% 75.9% –
Institutions holding 975 1,865 –
Change in shares held, QoQ +2.5% +1.5% –
Institutions buying 440 752 –
Institutions selling 294 632 –
Buyers to sellers 1.50 1.19 –

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

CPNSCCSANY
CP 1.00 0.64 0.06
NSC 0.64 1.00 0.00
CSANY 0.06 0.00 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CP, NSC and CSANY?

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) is the largest by market capitalisation: Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) $77.69B, Norfolk Southern (NSC) $76.86B, Cosan (CSANY) $1.75B.

Which stock is cheaper, CP, NSC and CSANY?

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) 28.1x, Norfolk Southern (NSC) 28.6x, Cosan (CSANY) -0.7x). On next year's consensus earnings, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) is cheapest (Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) 22.6x, Norfolk Southern (NSC) 28.0x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) +7.3%, Norfolk Southern (NSC) +6.0%, Cosan (CSANY) -0.9%.

Which company is more profitable?

Norfolk Southern (NSC) has the highest net margin (Norfolk Southern (NSC) 20.7%, Cosan (CSANY) -21.9%). On return on invested capital, Cosan (CSANY) leads (Norfolk Southern (NSC) 9.7%, Cosan (CSANY) 129.2%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Norfolk Southern (NSC) returned the most: Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) +20.8%, Norfolk Southern (NSC) +22.4%, Cosan (CSANY) -61.0%. Over five years, Norfolk Southern (NSC) compounded fastest (Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) +2.7%/yr, Norfolk Southern (NSC) +3.2%/yr, Cosan (CSANY) -34.0%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Norfolk Southern (NSC) has the highest dividend yield: Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) 1.13%, Norfolk Southern (NSC) 1.58%. Cosan (CSANY) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Norfolk Southern (NSC) has been the steadiest (Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) 22.7%, Norfolk Southern (NSC) 21.0%, Cosan (CSANY) 90.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, CP, NSC and CSANY?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Norfolk Southern (NSC) leads on 5. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.