Union Pacific (UNP) Competitors

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) and Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) are both large-cap transportation companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, dividends, institutional ownership, valuation, community ranking, risk, media sentiment and profitability.

Which has more risk & volatility, UNP or NSC?

Union Pacific has a beta of 1.07, indicating that its share price is 7% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Norfolk Southern has a beta of 1.3, indicating that its share price is 30% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Does the media prefer UNP or NSC?

In the previous week, Union Pacific had 16 more articles in the media than Norfolk Southern. MarketBeat recorded 59 mentions for Union Pacific and 43 mentions for Norfolk Southern. Union Pacific's average media sentiment score of 1.14 beat Norfolk Southern's score of 1.09 indicating that Union Pacific is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Union Pacific	40 Very Positive mention(s)	4 Positive mention(s)	5 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Norfolk Southern	28 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	6 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do analysts rate UNP or NSC?

Union Pacific currently has a consensus target price of $257.50, indicating a potential upside of 15.60%. Norfolk Southern has a consensus target price of $266.50, indicating a potential upside of 11.87%. Given Union Pacific's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Union Pacific is more favorable than Norfolk Southern.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Union Pacific	1 Sell rating(s)	5 Hold rating(s)	15 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.78
Norfolk Southern	1 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	12 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.55

Does the MarketBeat Community favor UNP or NSC?

Union Pacific received 441 more outperform votes than Norfolk Southern when rated by MarketBeat users. Likewise, 70.29% of users gave Union Pacific an outperform vote while only 57.79% of users gave Norfolk Southern an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
Union Pacific	Outperform Votes 1268 70.29%	Underperform Votes 536 29.71%
Norfolk Southern	Outperform Votes 827 57.79%	Underperform Votes 604 42.21%

Is UNP or NSC a better dividend stock?

Union Pacific pays an annual dividend of $5.36 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.4%. Norfolk Southern pays an annual dividend of $5.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.3%. Union Pacific pays out 48.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Norfolk Southern pays out 36.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Union Pacific has increased its dividend for 18 consecutive years. Union Pacific is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Do institutionals and insiders believe in UNP or NSC?

80.4% of Union Pacific shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 75.1% of Norfolk Southern shares are held by institutional investors. 0.2% of Union Pacific shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of Norfolk Southern shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Which has preferable valuation & earnings, UNP or NSC?

Union Pacific has higher revenue and earnings than Norfolk Southern. Norfolk Southern is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Union Pacific, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Union Pacific	$24.25B	5.49	$6.75B	$11.10	20.07
Norfolk Southern	$12.11B	4.43	$2.62B	$14.64	16.27

Is UNP or NSC more profitable?

Union Pacific has a net margin of 27.82% compared to Norfolk Southern's net margin of 21.63%. Union Pacific's return on equity of 41.12% beat Norfolk Southern's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Union Pacific	27.82%	41.12%	9.98%
Norfolk Southern	21.63%	20.04%	6.26%

Summary

Union Pacific beats Norfolk Southern on 18 of the 22 factors compared between the two stocks.