NSC vs UNP
Norfolk Southern Corp (NSC) and Union Pacific Corp (UNP) are both filed with the SEC under Railroads, Line-Haul Operating. UNP is 2.3× NSC's size by market cap ($182.8B against $78.1B); NSC trades at the higher fiscal-year P/E (27.3× against 25.7×); UNP reports the higher net margin (29.1% against 23.6%); UNP grew sales faster over three years (-0.5% against -1.5%); and over the past year UNP returned +41.4% against NSC's +27.7%.
| NSC | UNP | |
|---|---|---|
| Last close | $348.68 | $307.41 |
| Market cap | $78.1B | $182.8B |
| P/E (FY) | 27.3× | 25.7× |
| P/S | 6.4× | 7.5× |
| EV/EBITDA | 16.3× | — |
| Operating margin | 35.8% | 40.2% |
| Net margin | 23.6% | 29.1% |
| Return on equity | 19.2% | 40.4% |
| Sales growth (3y) | -1.5% | -0.5% |
| EPS growth (3y) | -2.8% | +2.2% |
| Dividend yield | 1.6% | 1.8% |
| 1-year return | +27.7% | +41.4% |
Screener snapshot — prices as of 2026-08-28. Each side's last close is the most recent session the snapshot holds for that company, which can be an earlier one, and its 1-year return is measured to that close. Market caps struck on 2026-08-27. Last close, market cap and the 1-year return are price figures; every other row is computed over the company's latest filed fiscal year — FY2025 (ended 2025-12-31) for both. — not published for this company. A ratio goes unpublished for more than one reason: a component the calculation needs is not on file, the filing does not tag the line it is read from, or the calculation is not defined on the filed basis — EV/EBITDA is not printed on non-positive EBITDA, and return on equity is not computed on a zero or negative equity base.
Who holds them, and who has traded them
| NSC | UNP | |
|---|---|---|
| Institutional holders (13F) | 1,816 | 2,747 |
| Insider buyers − sellers (180d) | — | -3 |
| Congressional trades disclosed (180d) | 1 | 1 |
| Executive-branch officials on file — trades disclosed (180d) | 2 | 7 |
Counts only. The congressional figures count transactions dated in the trailing 180 days and disclosed in STOCK Act periodic transaction reports; amounts are filed as ranges and are never summed. The executive-branch figures count the same window of transactions, and they are scoped to one roster. The officials OGE posts for direct download. Insider buyers − sellers counts distinct people filing open-market Form 4 purchases minus distinct people filing open-market sales over the trailing 180 days, capped at ±5. — no open-market Form 4 purchases or sales in the window.
NSC vs UNP: common questions
- Is NSC bigger than UNP?
- UNP carries the larger market cap — $182.8B against $78.1B, both struck on 2026-08-27.
- Which trades at a higher P/E, NSC or UNP?
- NSC, at a fiscal-year 27.3× against 25.7× for UNP. Both are price ÷ latest full-year diluted earnings per share, not a trailing-twelve-month P/E.
- How have NSC and UNP performed over the past year?
- UNP returned +41.4% and NSC +27.7%, measured on the trailing calendar year to the last close.
- How many institutions hold NSC and UNP?
- 1,816 13F filers report a position in NSC and 2,747 in UNP, on the latest quarter in the panel.
- Are NSC and UNP in the same industry?
- Both are filed with the SEC under Railroads, Line-Haul Operating, which is the classification this pairing is built on.
NSC overview → · UNP overview → · NSC institutional ownership → · UNP institutional ownership → · Congress and NSC → · Congress and UNP → · Executive branch and NSC → · Executive branch and UNP →
More in Railroads, Line-Haul Operating: CSX vs NSC · CSX vs UNP
Stock comparisons lists every pair this site publishes.
Source: SPZCO — https://spzco.com/vs/nsc-vs-unp