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STOCK COMPARISON

Norfolk Southern vs Union Pacific: Fair Value & Quality

Both stocks run through our valuation models. Here is how Norfolk Southern (NSC) and Union Pacific (UNP) compare, as of Aug 8, 2026.

As of Aug 8, 2026, Fair Value Calculator sees Union Pacific as the less overvalued of the two: Norfolk Southern trades at $342 versus a fair value of $118 (-66%), while Union Pacific trades at $295 versus $145 (-51%).
Norfolk Southern
NSC · USD · Industrials
-66%
upside to fair value
overvalued
Price$342
Fair Value$118
Quality63/100
Union Pacific
UNP · USD · Industrials
-51%
upside to fair value
overvalued
Price$295
Fair Value$145
Quality72/100

Head-to-head numbers

Green value = the better side for that row (for valuation multiples: lower = cheaper).

Norfolk SouthernUnion Pacific
Valuation
27.2×P/E (TTM)24.6×
6.04×P/S (TTM)7.25×
4.73×P/B9.70×
15.8×EV/EBITDA16.5×
4.78×PEG3.64×
1.7%Dividend yield1.8%
$5.40Dividend per share$5.48
Profitability
22%Net margin29%
32%Operating margin40%
18%Return on equity41%
6%Return on assets9%
Growth
0%Revenue growth (YoY)3%
-1.5%Avg. growth/yr (3Y)-0.5%
4.5%Avg. growth/yr (5Y)4.6%
Balance & size
1.06×Debt / equity1.64×
$74BMarket cap$179B
expensiveGrowth qualityhealthy

Union Pacific leads: 4 to 10 metric wins.

Dash = not meaningfully computable, for example with negative equity.

Quality in detail

The quality score, broken down into the same factor families as on the stock page, 0 to 100 per family.

Norfolk Southernof which business quality 58 · market factors 67 Union Pacificof which business quality 63 · market factors 74
ProfitabilityMargins and returns on capital today
49
64
Quality GrowthAre margins and returns improving?
59
57
CashflowEarnings quality: real cash, not paper profit
67
71
Fin. StrengthBalance sheet, leverage, solvency risk
41
40
InvestmentDisciplined investing over empire-building
50
47
Low VolatilityCalm price path (market factor)
65
74
MomentumPrice trend over the last 3–12 months (market factor)
60
69
52W MomentumDistance to the 52-week high (market factor)
81
84
Net IssuanceBuybacks instead of dilution
93
100

What the models say

The median fair value (base case) per model family, each in the currency of its trading venue. Green = above the current price, red = below.

Norfolk Southern

DCF Models$95.68
Earnings-Based$131
Dividend Discount$69.56
Multiples$227
Asset-Based$46.38
Growth DCF$71.69
Economic Profit$102
Growth Earnings$198

24 of 24 models see the stock below the current price.

Union Pacific

DCF Models$119
Earnings-Based$97.30
Multiples$162
Asset-Based$20.84
Growth DCF$80.61
Economic Profit$121
Growth Earnings$195

23 of 23 models see the stock below the current price.

Scenario ranges

From our cautious bear case to the optimistic bull case. The white tick is the current price: left of fair value means room to run.

Norfolk Southern
Bear $79.39Fair Value $118Bull $270
$342 = current price (white tick)
Union Pacific
Bear $89.73Fair Value $145Bull $266
$295 = current price (white tick)

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Ranked within their sector

Where each stock sits within its sector peer group. Band = middle 50% of peers, tick = median, dot = this stock.

Norfolk Southern · Industrials

Quality score63 · Top 25%
Fair value upside-66% · bottom 25%

Union Pacific · Industrials

Quality score72 · Top 25%
Fair value upside-51% · below median

Bottom line

As of Aug 8, 2026, Fair Value Calculator sees Union Pacific as the less overvalued of the two: Norfolk Southern trades at $342 versus a fair value of $118 (-66%), while Union Pacific trades at $295 versus $145 (-51%).

Union Pacific has the higher quality score (72/100).

See the full analysis →
Norfolk Southern · Union Pacific

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A model-based valuation snapshot from 21 models. Values change with price and fundamentals; the date shown above applies.