$329.85
+4.7% 1M +16.2% 1Y
- Market cap
- $75.04B
- P/E
- 28.0x
- Revenue (TTM)
- $12.96B
- Div. yield
- 0.02%
Union Pacific leads on 10 of the 12 questions below (Union Pacific 10, Norfolk Southern 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.
| Question | NSC | UNP | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Larger companyMarket capitalisation | $75.04B | $176.20B | UNP |
| Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only | 28.0x | 23.1x | UNP |
| Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS | 27.3x | 21.2x | UNP |
| Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months | +6.0% | +7.4% | UNP |
| More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months | 20.7% | 28.9% | UNP |
| Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital | 9.7% | 15.7% | UNP |
| Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA | 2.7x | 2.1x | UNP |
| Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield | 0.02% | 0.00% | – |
| Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months | +16.2% | +33.1% | UNP |
| Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years | +2.9%/yr | +4.3%/yr | UNP |
| Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year | 20.9% | 22.6% | NSC |
| Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers | 35/100 | 45/100 | UNP |
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.
| Axis | NSC | UNP |
|---|---|---|
| Valuation | 10 #123 of 136 | 16 #114 of 136 |
| Growth | 46 #67 of 122 | 60 #49 of 122 |
| Profitability | 67 #40 of 119 | 88 #15 of 119 |
| Financial Health | 30 #103 of 147 | 38 #92 of 147 |
| Shareholder Returns | 21 #67 of 84 | 24 #64 of 84 |
| Overall | 35 | 45 |
Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.
| Period | NSC | UNP | SPY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | +4.7% | +6.3% | -1.0% |
| 3 months | -5.9% | -4.8% | +2.9% |
| 6 months | +3.2% | +9.0% | +6.4% |
| Year to date | +14.2% | +26.6% | +11.4% |
| 1 year | +16.2% | +33.1% | +13.1% |
| 3 years | +68.1% | +42.6% | +79.4% |
| 3 years, per year | +18.9% | +12.6% | +21.5% |
| 5 years | +15.1% | +23.3% | +67.7% |
| 5 years, per year | +2.9% | +4.3% | +10.9% |
| 10 years | +255.0% | +224.1% | +255.2% |
| 10 years, per year | +13.5% | +12.5% | +13.5% |
| Measure | NSC | UNP | SPY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volatility, 1Y | 20.9% | 22.6% | 12.7% |
| Downside volatility, 1Y | 20.2% | 21.7% | 12.7% |
| Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y | 0.18 | 0.15 | 1.00 |
| Return / volatility, 1Y | 0.78 | 1.46 | 1.03 |
| Max drawdown, 5Y | -38.0% | -32.9% | -25.4% |
| From 52-week high | -6.6% | -5.7% | -2.5% |
| 52-week high | $352.99 | $310.62 | $779.14 |
| 52-week low | $278.19 | $216.37 | $631.97 |
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.
| Multiple | NSC | UNP |
|---|---|---|
| P/E now vs peer median | 27.6xmedian 16.0x | 22.8xmedian 16.0x |
| P/S now vs peer median | 5.7xmedian 1.0x | 6.6xmedian 1.0x |
| EV/EBITDA now vs peer median | 16.2xmedian 8.7x | 15.4xmedian 8.7x |
| P/FCF now vs peer median | 45.0xmedian 11.5x | 26.0xmedian 11.5x |
| P/B now vs peer median | 4.4xmedian 1.2x | 7.9xmedian 1.2x |
| PEG now vs peer median | 3.07median 0.82 | 3.23median 0.82 |
Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.
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.
| Metric | NSC | UNP |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth (1Y) | 6.0% | 7.4% |
| Revenue CAGR (3Y) | 1.7% | 3.0% |
| Gross profit growth (1Y) | – | – |
| Gross profit CAGR (3Y) | – | – |
| Operating income growth (1Y) | -10.2% | 6.0% |
| Operating income CAGR (3Y) | 8.2% | 5.2% |
| Net income growth (1Y) | -9.4% | 8.0% |
| Net income CAGR (3Y) | 8.7% | 6.2% |
| EPS growth (1Y) | -9.6% | 7.8% |
| EPS CAGR (3Y) | 9.0% | 7.1% |
| Operating cash flow growth (1Y) | -11.0% | 8.2% |
| Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) | 4.6% | 8.3% |
| Free cash flow growth (1Y) | -21.5% | 11.3% |
| Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) | 13.0% | 12.0% |
| Metric | NSC | UNP |
|---|---|---|
| Gross margin | – | – |
| EBITDA margin | 42.5% | 49.7% |
| Operating margin | 31.5% | 40.1% |
| Pretax margin | 26.4% | 37.6% |
| Net margin | 20.7% | 28.9% |
| FCF margin | 12.7% | 25.4% |
| Operating cash flow margin | 29.2% | 39.9% |
| Return on equity | 16.3% | 35.7% |
| Return on assets | 5.9% | 10.6% |
| Return on invested capital | 9.7% | 15.7% |
| Return on capital employed | 9.8% | 15.9% |
| Asset turnover | 0.3x | 0.4x |
| Cash conversion (OCF / net income) | 1.4x | 1.4x |
| Stock comp / revenue | – | – |
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.
| Consensus | NSC | UNP |
|---|---|---|
| Forward P/E | 27.3xFY2026 | 21.2xFY2026 |
| EPS, next fiscal year | $12.07FY2026 | $13.83FY2026 |
| EPS growth, next FY | -3.4%FY2026 | +18.6%FY2026 |
| EPS growth, the year after | +24.5% | -1.4% |
| Revenue, next fiscal year | $13.99BFY2026 | $27.79BFY2026 |
| Revenue growth, next FY | +14.9%FY2026 | +13.4%FY2026 |
| Revenue growth, the year after | +2.0% | +4.4% |
1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.
| NSC | UNP | |
|---|---|---|
| NSC | 1.00 | 0.94 |
| UNP | 0.94 | 1.00 |
Union Pacific (UNP) is the largest by market capitalisation: Norfolk Southern (NSC) $75.04B, Union Pacific (UNP) $176.20B.
Union Pacific (UNP) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Norfolk Southern (NSC) 28.0x, Union Pacific (UNP) 23.1x). On next year's consensus earnings, Union Pacific (UNP) is cheapest (Norfolk Southern (NSC) 27.3x, Union Pacific (UNP) 21.2x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.
Union Pacific (UNP) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Norfolk Southern (NSC) +6.0%, Union Pacific (UNP) +7.4%.
Union Pacific (UNP) has the highest net margin (Norfolk Southern (NSC) 20.7%, Union Pacific (UNP) 28.9%). On return on invested capital, Union Pacific (UNP) leads (Norfolk Southern (NSC) 9.7%, Union Pacific (UNP) 15.7%).
Over the past year Union Pacific (UNP) returned the most: Norfolk Southern (NSC) +16.2%, Union Pacific (UNP) +33.1%. Over five years, Union Pacific (UNP) compounded fastest (Norfolk Southern (NSC) +2.9%/yr, Union Pacific (UNP) +4.3%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.
Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Norfolk Southern (NSC) 0.02%, Union Pacific (UNP) 0.00%. Union Pacific (UNP) pays no regular dividend.
By one-year price volatility, Norfolk Southern (NSC) has been the steadiest (Norfolk Southern (NSC) 20.9%, Union Pacific (UNP) 22.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.
Their daily returns over the past year have a correlation of 0.94, a strong positive relationship. Holding both adds little diversification.
There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Union Pacific (UNP) leads on 10. 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.