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Stock Comparison · Structural lead, mixed market

Norfolk Southern vs Constellation Brands: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

The structural profiles are close, with Constellation Brands carrying a narrow edge on growth. Norfolk Southern still leads on profitability and stability, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. The market setup is currently leaning toward Norfolk Southern, which does not confirm the structural lead. That leaves a split case: the structural lead stays with Constellation Brands, but the market is not currently confirming it.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the S&P 500 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-07-05

The clearest score difference appears in growth.

Trajectory Similarity
0.61
Moderately similar
Peer-set rank: #70
within Norfolk Southern Corporation's functional peer set

This comparison is anchored in long-term financial trajectory similarity within the selected peer universe.

The pair shares a valid long-term profile match, but the trajectories are not especially close.

The strongest overlap appears in revenue growth trajectory and margin consistency.

Similarity drivers
revenue growth trajectorymargin consistency
How to read the score
0.85–1.00 · Very similar0.70–0.84 · Similar0.55–0.69 · Moderately similarbelow 0.55 · Loose match
Peer-Relative Score
NSC
Norfolk Southern Corporation
47
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
STZ
Constellation Brands, Inc.
51
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: NSC vs STZ Profitability 59 44 Stability 36 18 Valuation 65 87 Growth 11 38 NSC STZ
Gap Ranking
#1 Growth +27
#2 Valuation +22
#3 Stability +18
#4 Profitability +15
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for NSC and STZ Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer NSCSTZ Relative valuation Structural strength

The structural gap is limited here, but current pricing still leans against Norfolk Southern Corporation.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where NSC and STZ each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY NSC Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 95 pct gap STZ Lower · below norm 0th 50th 100th 99th 4th
Today STZ sits in the lower portion of its own 5-year history (4th percentile), while NSC sits higher in its own history (99th). Within each stock's own 5-year context, STZ is at a historically more favourable entry position than NSC. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger — peer-relative analysis is a separate question addressed above.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Growth
Both sit in the weaker half on growth, with Constellation Brands, Inc. still coming out ahead.
Valuation
Both look solid on valuation, though Constellation Brands, Inc. still holds the stronger peer position.
Growth — Dominant Gap
NSC
11
STZ
38
Gap+27in favour of STZ

Earnings growth is one contributing factor within the growth lead.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

A meaningful counterforce remains in stability, which keeps the comparison from looking completely one-sided.

What this means for the comparison

Growth is the clearest driver of the lead, with valuation adding further support — though profitability still provides a real counterweight.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the NSC vs STZ comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

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Similar growth-and-valuation comparisons

Explore how NSC and STZ each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.