NSC vs CSANY vs BRK-B Stock Comparison

Norfolk Southern, Cosan and Berkshire Hathaway Prices as of Oct 29, 2026 Peers: Industry group
NSC Norfolk Southern Corp
$342.19 +9.2% 1M +22.4% 1Y
Market cap
$76.81B
P/E
28.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$12.96B
Div. yield
0.02%
Railroads Industrials
3 wins
CSANY Cosan S.A.
$1.76 -37.4% 1M -61.0% 1Y
Market cap
$1.08B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$7.59B
Div. yield
–
Integrated Oil and Gas Energy
3 wins
BRK-B Berkshire Hathaway Inc
$541.90 +7.9% 1M +13.9% 1Y
Market cap
$779.61M
P/E
0.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$384.69B
Div. yield
–
Property and Casualty Insurance Financial Services
4 wins

Head to Head

10 decided of 12

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

QuestionNSCCSANYBRK-BLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $76.81B $1.08B $779.61M NSC
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 28.6x -0.7x 0.0x BRK-B
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 28.0x — — –
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +6.0% -0.9% +3.9% NSC
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 20.7% -21.9% 22.3% BRK-B
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 9.7% 129.2% -10.4% CSANY
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.7x -0.3x 2.4x CSANY
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.02% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +22.4% -61.0% +13.9% NSC
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +3.2%/yr -34.0%/yr +13.6%/yr BRK-B
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 21.0% 90.7% 14.6% BRK-B
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 33/100 46/100 28/100 CSANY

Percentile Scorecard

NSCCSANYBRK-B

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

AxisNSCCSANYBRK-B
Valuation 9 #124 of 136 87 #14 of 99 15 #101 of 119
Growth 43 #70 of 121 14 #84 of 97 30 #80 of 114
Profitability 63 #42 of 112 45 #53 of 96 30 #75 of 106
Financial Health 30 #98 of 140 65 #36 of 102 55 #47 of 104
Shareholder Returns 19 #65 of 80 17 #64 of 77 8 #97 of 105
Overall 33 46 28
  • NSC ranked among 150 companies in Transportation
  • CSANY ranked among 103 companies in Oil and Gas Upstream
  • BRK-B ranked among 126 companies in Insurance

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodNSCCSANYBRK-BSPY
1 month +9.2%-37.4%+7.9% +0.7%
3 months +2.5%-44.3%+6.3% +3.7%
6 months +8.3%-56.3%+14.4% +7.1%
Year to date +18.5%-55.4%+7.8% +12.8%
1 year +22.4%-61.0%+13.9% +11.9%
3 years +82.4%-85.9%+60.6% +85.2%
3 years, per year +22.2%-48.0%+17.1% +22.8%
5 years +16.8%-87.4%+88.8% +67.6%
5 years, per year +3.2%-34.0%+13.6% +10.9%
10 years +270.9%—+276.3% +262.0%
10 years, per year +14.0%—+14.2% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureNSCCSANYBRK-BSPY
Volatility, 1Y 21.0%90.7%14.6% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 20.3%107.9%14.2% 12.6%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.191.15-0.02 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.07-0.670.95 0.94
Max drawdown, 5Y -38.0%-91.4%-26.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -3.1%-67.7%-1.2% -1.2%
52-week high $352.99$5.45$548.72 $779.14
52-week low $278.19$1.76$465.40 $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.

MultipleNSCCSANYBRK-B
P/E now vs peer median 28.6xmedian 16.5x -0.7xmedian 11.9x 0.0xmedian 10.7x
P/S now vs peer median 5.9xmedian 0.9x 0.2xmedian 2.0x 3.0xmedian 1.4x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 16.7xmedian 8.8x 0.3xmedian 5.9x -9.6xmedian 7.5x
P/FCF now vs peer median 46.7xmedian 11.9x 1.7xmedian 10.0x 48.2xmedian 8.5x
P/B now vs peer median 4.6xmedian 1.2x 0.3xmedian 1.5x 1.6xmedian 1.5x
PEG now vs peer median 3.19median 0.84 0.01median 1.36 —median 0.60

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 monthsNSCCSANYBRK-B
Revenue $12.96B $7.59B $384.69B
Gross profit – $2.62B $215.64B
Operating income $4.09B $1.96B -$111.18B
Net income $2.68B -$1.37B $86.08B
Free cash flow $1.65B $1.01B $24.22B
EPS (diluted) $11.92 $-2.68 –
Cash & equivalents $1.60B $2.58B $40.61B
Total debt $16.61B $1.70B $128.60B
Shares (diluted) 225.20M 617.57M –
Enterprise value $71.27B -$9.95B -$1.42T

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
MetricNSCCSANYBRK-B
P/E 28.6x -0.7x 0.0x
P/FCF 46.7x 1.7x 48.2x
P/Operating cash flow 20.3x 0.7x 25.0x
P/S 5.9x 0.2x 3.0x
P/B 4.6x 0.3x 1.6x
P/Tangible book 4.6x 1.7x 1.6x
EV/EBITDA 16.7x 0.3x -9.6x
EV/EBIT 22.5x 0.4x -8.4x
EV/Revenue 7.1x 0.1x 2.4x
EV/FCF 55.8x 0.9x 38.5x
EV/Operating cash flow 24.3x 0.3x 20.0x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 3.19 0.01 –

Growth

14 metrics
MetricNSCCSANYBRK-B
Revenue growth (1Y) 6.0% -0.9% 3.9%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 1.7% -20.2% 4.9%
Gross profit growth (1Y) – 4.7% 2.1%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – -10.5% 1.0%
Operating income growth (1Y) -10.2% 52.4% -4.9%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 8.2% -8.8% -8.5%
Net income growth (1Y) -9.4% 19.5% 35.9%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 8.7% -61.8% -0.5%
EPS growth (1Y) -9.6% -169.9% –
EPS CAGR (3Y) 9.0% -74.8% –
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -11.0% -18.5% 70.1%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 4.6% -11.2% 2.6%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -21.5% -69.1% 194.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 13.0% -43.2% -2.5%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricNSCCSANYBRK-B
Gross margin – 34.5% 56.1%
EBITDA margin 42.5% 35.6% -25.3%
Operating margin 31.5% 25.9% -28.9%
Pretax margin 26.4% -15.0% 29.2%
Net margin 20.7% -21.9% 22.3%
FCF margin 12.7% 13.3% 6.3%
Operating cash flow margin 29.2% 33.1% 12.1%
Return on equity 16.3% -26.1% 11.6%
Return on assets 5.9% -6.3% 6.8%
Return on invested capital 9.7% 129.2% -10.4%
Return on capital employed 9.8% 8.5% –
Asset turnover 0.3x 0.3x 0.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x -1.8x 0.5x
Stock comp / revenue – 0.2% –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricNSCCSANYBRK-B
Debt / assets 36.2% 6.9% 10.2%
Debt / equity 1.0x 0.3x 0.2x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.7x -0.3x 2.4x
Debt / FCF 10.1x 1.7x 5.3x
Liabilities / assets 63.6% 74.8% 40.6%
Equity / assets 36.4% 25.2% 59.4%
Interest coverage 5.2x 1.3x -21.4x
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
MetricNSCCSANYBRK-B
Dividend yield 1.6% – –
Net buyback yield 0.0% -4.2% 0.4%
Shareholder yield 1.6% -4.2% 0.4%
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.

ConsensusNSCCSANYBRK-B
Forward P/E 28.0xFY2026 – –
EPS, next fiscal year $12.23FY2026 $-0.01FY2026 –
EPS growth, next FY -2.1%FY2026 – –
EPS growth, the year after +24.4% – –
Revenue, next fiscal year $14.12BFY2026 $7.67BFY2026 –
Revenue growth, next FY +15.9%FY2026 -2.0%FY2026 –
Revenue growth, the year after +2.7% +21.1% –

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersNSCCSANYBRK-B
Held by institutions 75.9% – 65.8%
Institutions holding 1,865 – 4,925
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.5% – +1.8%
Institutions buying 752 – 2,237
Institutions selling 632 – 1,989
Buyers to sellers 1.19 – 1.12

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.

NSCCSANYBRK-B
NSC 1.00 0.00 0.22
CSANY 0.00 1.00 -0.08
BRK-B 0.22 -0.08 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, NSC, CSANY and BRK-B?

Norfolk Southern (NSC) is the largest by market capitalisation: Norfolk Southern (NSC) $76.81B, Cosan (CSANY) $1.08B, Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B) $779.61M.

Which stock is cheaper, NSC, CSANY and BRK-B?

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Norfolk Southern (NSC) 28.6x, Cosan (CSANY) -0.7x, Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B) 0.0x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Norfolk Southern (NSC) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Norfolk Southern (NSC) +6.0%, Cosan (CSANY) -0.9%, Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B) +3.9%.

Which company is more profitable?

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B) has the highest net margin (Norfolk Southern (NSC) 20.7%, Cosan (CSANY) -21.9%, Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B) 22.3%). On return on invested capital, Cosan (CSANY) leads (Norfolk Southern (NSC) 9.7%, Cosan (CSANY) 129.2%, Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B) -10.4%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Norfolk Southern (NSC) returned the most: Norfolk Southern (NSC) +22.4%, Cosan (CSANY) -61.0%, Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B) +13.9%. Over five years, Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B) compounded fastest (Norfolk Southern (NSC) +3.2%/yr, Cosan (CSANY) -34.0%/yr, Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B) +13.6%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Norfolk Southern (NSC) 0.02%, Cosan (CSANY) 0.00%, Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B) 0.00%. Cosan (CSANY) and Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B) has been the steadiest (Norfolk Southern (NSC) 21.0%, Cosan (CSANY) 90.7%, Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B) 14.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, NSC, CSANY and BRK-B?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B) leads on 4. 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.