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Compare Stocks › NSC vs UNP

Norfolk Southern Corporation (NSC) vs Union Pacific Corporation (UNP)

NSC
Norfolk Southern Corporation
$315.90
VS
UNP
Union Pacific Corporation
$266.32

Rewards

NSC
  • ★Norfolk Southern Corporation has maintained ROIC above 10% for 4 consecutive years, suggesting solid business economics.
  • ★Norfolk Southern Corporation scores 71/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with roic consistency as the strongest competitive dimension.
UNP
  • ★Union Pacific Corporation has maintained ROIC above 10% for 4 consecutive years, suggesting solid business economics.
  • ★Union Pacific Corporation scores 80/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with margin stability as the strongest competitive dimension.
  • ★Return on equity has consistently exceeded 20% over 4 years, indicating efficient use of shareholder capital.

Risks

NSC
  • ⚠PEG ratio of 4.70 indicates the stock is expensive relative to its expected growth — the market may be pricing in more growth than analysts project.
UNP
  • ⚠Each dollar of retained earnings has produced only $0.15 of earning power — shareholders may have been better served by dividends.
  • ⚠PEG ratio of 3.54 indicates the stock is expensive relative to its expected growth — the market may be pricing in more growth than analysts project.
  • ⚠Insiders have sold $8.5M worth of stock in the past 3 months — significant insider liquidation.

Key Valuation Metrics

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NSC
UNP
Valuation
$2.16B
Free Cash Flow
$5.50B
3.04%
FCF Yield
3.48%
26.59
Trailing P/E
21.94
23.44
Forward P/E
19.46
Quality & Moat
9.29%
ROIC
15.46%
18.18%
ROE
36.76%
45.85%
Gross Margin
56.53%
4.70
PEG Ratio
3.54
Balance Sheet Safety
1.12
Debt / Equity
1.62
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
2.92
Net Debt / EBITDA
2.42
1.71%
Dividend Yield
2.07%
NSC: 1Ties: 1UNP: 10
NSCUNP

Historical Fundamentals

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NSC

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.

UNP

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.

$1 Retained Earnings Test

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NSC
$2.35
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Exceptional Value Creator
Σ Retained
$3.66B
Δ Market Cap
+$8.59B
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
UNP
$0.98
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Mediocre Allocator
Σ Retained
$10.64B
Δ Market Cap
+$10.42B
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Analysis

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NSC
17.9% Overvalued
Price is 17.9% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $315.90
Fair Value: $267.97
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
UNP
17.9% Overvalued
Price is 17.9% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $266.32
Fair Value: $225.93
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued

Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth

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NSC

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $316?

+13.4%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +17.3%

The market implies +13.4% Owner Earnings growth, above historical trends.

Standard FCF implies a demanding +17.3%, reflecting heavy growth investment.

UNP

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $266?

+11.5%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +15.0%

The market implies +11.5% Owner Earnings growth, above historical trends.

Standard FCF implies a demanding +15.0%, reflecting heavy growth investment.

Economic Moat Score

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NSC
71/100
Wide Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat driven primarily by roic consistency. Reinvestment Efficiency is the area most vulnerable to competitive pressure.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.
UNP
80/100
Wide Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat driven primarily by margin stability. Reinvestment Efficiency is the area most vulnerable to competitive pressure.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.

Forensic Accounting

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NSC
-2.63
Unlikely Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.
UNP
-2.61
Unlikely Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Ownership Breakdown

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NSC
Insiders 0.1%Institutions 78.4%Retail & Other 21.5%
No. of Institutional Holders2,237
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.
UNP
Insiders 0.1%Institutions 89.0%Retail & Other 10.9%
No. of Institutional Holders3,420
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

Insider Buying Activity

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NSC
0
Buys (3M)
3
Buys (12M)
Total value (12M): $1.26M
CLYBURN WILLIAM JR.
Director
$60,137
@ $294.79 · 2025-12-05
FAHMY, SAMEH
Director
$466,900
@ $282.97 · 2025-11-05
ANDERSON RICHARD H
Director
$732,823
@ $281.86 · 2025-10-27
LAMPHERE GILBERT H
Director
$157,735
@ $259.86 · 2025-01-31
ANDERSON RICHARD H
Director
$99,459
@ $248.65 · 2024-12-13
CLYBURN WILLIAM JR.
Director
$49,930
@ $248.41 · 2024-12-13
FAHMY, SAMEH
Director
$87,280
@ $249.37 · 2024-12-12
GEORGE MARK R.
Chief Executive Officer
$49,967
@ $249.84 · 2024-12-11
ANDERSON RICHARD H
Director
$257,850
@ $257.85 · 2024-10-24
FAHMY, SAMEH
Director
$255,000
@ $255.00 · 2024-10-24
FAHMY, SAMEH
Director
$244,097
@ $244.10 · 2024-08-02
ANDERSON RICHARD H
Director
$494,960
@ $247.48 · 2024-07-29
FAHMY, SAMEH
Director
$438,500
@ $219.25 · 2024-06-14
FAHMY, SAMEH
Director
$444,355
@ $222.18 · 2024-06-03
HUFFARD JOHN C JR
Director
$747,288
@ $219.92 · 2024-05-30
KELLEHER THOMAS COLM
Director
$501,958
@ $219.96 · 2024-05-30
LAMPHERE GILBERT H
Director
$149,446
@ $219.77 · 2024-05-29
ANDERSON RICHARD H
Director
$221,000
@ $221.00 · 2024-05-29
MONGEAU CLAUDE
Director
$1.25M
@ $221.00 · 2024-05-29
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises
UNP
0
Buys (3M)
0
Buys (12M)
No open market insider purchases found.
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises

Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises.

Insider Selling Activity

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NSC
0
Sells (3M)
1
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $253,442
BHATT ANIL
Chief Technology Officer
$253,442
@ $281.60 · 2025-11-19
SHAW ALAN H
Former
$13.14M
@ $255.98 · 2024-09-13
NAG NABANITA C
Officer
$88,530
@ $249.38 · 2024-07-29
ELKINS CLAUDE E
Officer
$1.90M
@ $228.43 · 2024-05-10
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives
UNP
3
Sells (3M)
3
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $8.46M
HAMANN JENNIFER L
Chief Financial Officer
$549,400
@ $274.70 · 2026-04-24
ROCKER KENYATTA G.
Officer
$7.44M
@ $271.76 · 2026-04-24
GEHRINGER ERIC J.
Officer
$469,625
@ $234.93 · 2026-03-20
RICHARDSON CRAIG V
Officer
$1.64M
@ $252.00 · 2025-01-27
WHITED ELIZABETH F.
President
$1.88M
@ $250.00 · 2025-01-24
WHITED ELIZABETH F.
President
$875,905
@ $246.59 · 2024-07-30
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives

Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives.

🎭 Mr. Market's Mood

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NSC
FearGreed
😏Greed(68/100)

"Market is optimistic — be cautious and ensure you have a margin of safety"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.
UNP
FearGreed
😏Greed(65/100)

"Market is optimistic — be cautious and ensure you have a margin of safety"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

Composite sentiment score based on market signals. Inspired by Buffett’s "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

⚖️ Buffett Signal

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NSC
⚪Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Greed (68)
UNP
⚪Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Greed (65)
View NSC Full AnalysisView UNP Full Analysis