Is NSC or URI cheaper?

On trailing earnings, NSC is cheaper: NSC trades at a 26.35 P/E and URI at 28.72.

Which has grown faster, NSC or URI?

Over the past five years, URI grew revenue faster — NSC at a 4.45% CAGR versus URI at 14.10%.

Does NSC or URI pay a bigger dividend?

NSC yields 1.73% and URI yields 0.70% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is NSC or URI more profitable?

NSC runs the higher net margin — NSC at 21.91% versus URI at 15.32%.

Which has been the better investment, NSC or URI?

Over the past 10-year, URI delivered the higher annualized total return — NSC at 16.57% versus URI at 33.17%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Norfolk Southern Corporation (NSC) vs United Rentals, Inc. (URI)

NSC leads on 9 of 17 compared metrics.

A side-by-side comparison of Norfolk Southern Corporation and United Rentals, Inc. across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of June 29, 2026. The ● marks the stronger figure on each row (cheaper multiple, higher margin/return).

NSC

Norfolk Southern Corporation

Total return — NSC vs URI

growth of $100 · last 29y

NSC +938.2%URI +7377.7%URI compounded faster

Log scale — wide-divergence pair

NSC URI

NSC vs URI: by the numbers

•URI is the larger company ($70.27B vs $70.26B market cap).
•NSC trades at the lower earnings multiple (26.35 vs 28.72 P/E).
•NSC converts more revenue to profit (21.91% vs 15.32% net margin).
•URI grew revenue faster over the past five years (14.10% vs 4.45% CAGR).
•NSC pays the higher dividend yield (1.73% vs 0.70%).

Which is better, NSC or URI?

Metric tally: NSC 9 · URI 8

It depends on what you're optimizing for:

ValueNSC(lower P/E)

GrowthURI(faster 5Y revenue CAGR)

IncomeNSC(higher dividend yield)

QualityURI(higher ROIC)

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	NSC	URI
P/E ratio	26.35●	28.72
Forward P/E	23.08●	23.88
P/S ratio	5.78	4.36●
P/B ratio	4.46●	7.95
PEG ratio	2.24	1.11●
EV / EBITDA	16.12	13.25●
FCF yield	5.43%●	0.93%

Profitability

Metric	NSC	URI
Gross margin	45.31%●	36.25%
Operating margin	32.39%●	24.67%
Net margin	21.91%●	15.32%
ROE	16.89%	27.95%●
ROIC	7.47%	10.75%●

Dividends

Metric	NSC	URI
Dividend yield	1.73%●	0.70%
Payout ratio	42.35%	20.36%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	NSC	URI
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	4.45%	14.10%●
EPS CAGR (5Y)	10.10%	25.88%●
FCF CAGR (5Y)	10.65%●	-15.74%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	5.48%	30.02%●

Frequently asked

Which is better, NSC or URI?: It depends on your goal. value: NSC (lower P/E); growth: URI (faster 5Y revenue CAGR); income: NSC (higher dividend yield); quality: URI (higher ROIC). Across all compared metrics, NSC leads 9 to 8.
Is NSC or URI cheaper?: On trailing earnings, NSC is cheaper: NSC trades at a 26.35 P/E and URI at 28.72.
Which has grown faster, NSC or URI?: Over the past five years, URI grew revenue faster — NSC at a 4.45% CAGR versus URI at 14.10%.
Does NSC or URI pay a bigger dividend?: NSC yields 1.73% and URI yields 0.70% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is NSC or URI more profitable?: NSC runs the higher net margin — NSC at 21.91% versus URI at 15.32%.
Which has been the better investment, NSC or URI?: Over the past 10-year, URI delivered the higher annualized total return — NSC at 16.57% versus URI at 33.17%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full NSC analysis Full URI analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

Norfolk Southern P/E ratio United Rentals P/E ratio Norfolk Southern dividend yield United Rentals dividend yield Norfolk Southern ROE United Rentals ROE Norfolk Southern operating margin United Rentals operating margin Norfolk Southern revenue growth United Rentals revenue growth Norfolk Southern free cash flow United Rentals free cash flow

Norfolk Southern & United Rentals appear in these rankings

Highest ROE Stocks Highest Operating Margin Stocks Highest FCF Yield Stocks Best 10-Year Total Return Stocks

Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified June 29, 2026.