CP vs. CSX: Canadian Pacific Kansas City vs. CSX Stock Comparison

August 16, 2026

How do Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) and CSX (CSX) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) and CSX (CSX) are both classified in the Rail Transportation sub-industry within the broader Ground Transportation industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) and CSX (CSX)
Profile Item	CP	CSX
Name	Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited	CSX Corporation
Country/Region	Canada	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Transportation	Transportation
GICS Industry	Ground Transportation	Ground Transportation
GICS Sub-Industry	Rail Transportation	Rail Transportation
Market Capitalization	82.19 billion USD	92.92 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	December 30, 1983	November 3, 1980
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CSX

GSPC

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) vs. CSX (CSX), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) and CSX (CSX). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) and CSX (CSX). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) and CSX (CSX)
Metric	CP	CSX
Total Return (1Y)	27.38%	39.94%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	5.90%	19.32%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	6.03%	9.65%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CSX

GSPC

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) vs. CSX (CSX), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) and CSX (CSX). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) and CSX (CSX)
Metric	CP	CSX
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	22.60%	22.99%
Beta (5Y)	1.12	1.20
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-25.88%	-29.44%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.82M	12.66M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CP and CSX are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) and CSX (CSX)
Metric	CP	CSX
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.04	1.56
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.62	2.49

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

CSX (CSX) at 24.36% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) at 8.15% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for CSX.

CP

Transportation industry group

8.15%

Max: 42.67%
Q3: 21.91%
Median: 11.31%
CP: 8.15%
Q1: 1.69%
Min: -15.07%

CSX

Transportation industry group

24.36%

Max: 42.67%
CSX: 24.36%
Q3: 21.91%
Median: 11.31%
Q1: 1.69%
Min: -15.07%

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) vs. CSX (CSX): A comparison of their ROE against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) at 25.03% and CSX (CSX) at 22.21% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

CP

Transportation industry group

25.03%

Max: 50.36%
CP: 25.03%
Q3: 20.85%
Median: 5.56%
Q1: 0.93%
Min: -11.37%

CSX

Transportation industry group

22.21%

Max: 50.36%
CSX: 22.21%
Q3: 20.85%
Median: 5.56%
Q1: 0.93%
Min: -11.37%

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) vs. CSX (CSX): A comparison of their net margin against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) at 38.98% and CSX (CSX) at 38.42% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

CP

Transportation industry group

38.98%

Max: 53.49%
CP: 38.98%
Q3: 25.45%
Median: 10.71%
Q1: 3.19%
Min: -11.50%

CSX

Transportation industry group

38.42%

Max: 53.49%
CSX: 38.42%
Q3: 25.45%
Median: 10.71%
Q1: 3.19%
Min: -11.50%

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) vs. CSX (CSX): A comparison of their operating margin against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) and CSX (CSX)
Metric	CP	CSX
ROE (TTM)	8.15%	24.36%
ROA (TTM)	4.44%	7.38%
Net Margin (TTM)	25.03%	22.21%
Operating Margin (TTM)	38.98%	38.42%
Gross Margin (TTM)	53.40%	47.07%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) at 3.66% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while CSX (CSX) at -3.08% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) vs. CSX (CSX): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) at 13.32% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while CSX (CSX) at -13.97% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for CP.

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) vs. CSX (CSX): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) and CSX (CSX)
Metric	CP	CSX
Revenue Growth (YoY)	3.66%	-3.08%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	19.60%	-1.74%
EPS Growth (YoY)	13.32%	-13.97%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	6.16%	-7.57%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

CSX (CSX) at 0.82 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) at 0.59 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for CP.

CP

Transportation industry group

0.59

Max: 2.50
Q3: 1.59
Median: 1.14
Q1: 0.79
CP: 0.59
Min: 0.28

CSX

Transportation industry group

0.82

Max: 2.50
Q3: 1.59
Median: 1.14
CSX: 0.82
Q1: 0.79
Min: 0.28

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) vs. CSX (CSX): A comparison of their current ratio against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) at 0.53 and CSX (CSX) at 1.38 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

CP

Transportation industry group

0.53

Max: 2.94
Q3: 1.45
Median: 0.82
CP: 0.53
Q1: 0.36
Min: 0.00

CSX

Transportation industry group

1.38

Max: 2.94
Q3: 1.45
CSX: 1.38
Median: 0.82
Q1: 0.36
Min: 0.00

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) vs. CSX (CSX): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) and CSX (CSX)
Metric	CP	CSX
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.59	0.82
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.53	1.38
Net Debt / EBITDA	3.00	2.64

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) at 1.01% and CSX (CSX) at 1.08% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

CP

Transportation industry group

1.01%

Max: 3.74%
Q3: 1.77%
CP: 1.01%
Median: 0.67%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

CSX

Transportation industry group

1.08%

Max: 3.74%
Q3: 1.77%
CSX: 1.08%
Median: 0.67%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) vs. CSX (CSX): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) at 22.14% and CSX (CSX) at 31.40% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

CP

Transportation industry group

22.14%

Max: 100.88%
Q3: 44.15%
CP: 22.14%
Median: 20.14%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

CSX

Transportation industry group

31.40%

Max: 100.88%
Q3: 44.15%
CSX: 31.40%
Median: 20.14%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) vs. CSX (CSX): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) and CSX (CSX)
Metric	CP	CSX
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.01%	1.08%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	22.14%	31.40%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) at 30.26 and CSX (CSX) at 29.16 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

CP

Transportation industry group

30.26

Max: 62.08
Q3: 34.61
CP: 30.26
Median: 20.36
Q1: 12.48
Min: 2.19

CSX

Transportation industry group

29.16

Max: 62.08
Q3: 34.61
CSX: 29.16
Median: 20.36
Q1: 12.48
Min: 2.19

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) vs. CSX (CSX): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Investors are paying well above the peer range per dollar of sales for both Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) at 5.32 and CSX (CSX) at 6.40 — each P/S ratio clears its industry’s benchmark range.

CP

Transportation industry group

5.32

CP: 5.32
Max: 4.54
Q3: 2.43
Median: 1.30
Q1: 0.65
Min: 0.07

CSX

Transportation industry group

6.40

CSX: 6.40
Max: 4.54
Q3: 2.43
Median: 1.30
Q1: 0.65
Min: 0.07

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) vs. CSX (CSX): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) at 2.47 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while CSX (CSX) at 6.60 carries an above-peer premium to book — CSX is pricier on assets.

CP

Transportation industry group

2.47

Max: 8.71
Q3: 4.24
CP: 2.47
Median: 2.00
Q1: 1.17
Min: -2.47

CSX

Transportation industry group

6.60

Max: 8.71
CSX: 6.60
Q3: 4.24
Median: 2.00
Q1: 1.17
Min: -2.47

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) vs. CSX (CSX): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) and CSX (CSX)
Metric	CP	CSX
P/E Ratio (TTM)	30.26	29.16
P/S Ratio (TTM)	5.32	6.40
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.47	6.60
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	2.65%	2.10%