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Norfolk Southern vs Union Pacific: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Union Pacific holds the cleaner structural position, with the lead spread across profitability and growth. The market setup is mixed, without a decisive signal in either direction. The market is not adding a decisive signal either way — the structural read carries the weight.

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 2026-08-16

The clearest separation starts in profitability, but growth adds another real layer to the result. The overall score gap is 14 points in favour of Union Pacific Corporation.

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Railroads

This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. NSC and UNP share the same industry classification.

For a similarity-based comparison, see how Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
NSC
Norfolk Southern Corporation
55
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
UNP
Union Pacific Corporation
69
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

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

More than one operating dimension supports the result here.

Dimension spread: NSC vs UNP Profitability 59 78 Stability 46 59 Valuation 60 68 Growth 52 68 NSC UNP
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +19
#2 Growth +16
#3 Stability +13
#4 Valuation +8
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for NSC and UNP Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer NSCUNP Relative valuation Structural strength

Union Pacific Corporation looks stronger both structurally and on relative valuation.

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

Entry today — historical context

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

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY NSC Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 0 pct gap UNP Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 99th 99th
NSC (99th percentile) and UNP (99th percentile) both sit in the upper portion of their own 5-year ranges. The historical entry context is broadly similar for both. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger.

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

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Profitability
Both rank well on profitability, but Union Pacific Corporation still sits higher.
Growth
On growth, the same pattern holds: both rank well, but Union Pacific Corporation still sits higher.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
NSC
59
UNP
78
Gap+19in favour of UNP

Capital efficiency adds support, with a 6-point ROIC advantage.

What else supports the lead

Growth also supports the lead, so the result is broader than one isolated gap.

What this means for the comparison

The lead is built on both profitability and growth, making it broader than a single-dimension result.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

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

Explore full breakdown →
Similar profitability-and-growth comparisons

Explore how NSC and UNP 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.