ECHO vs. NSC: EchoStar vs. Norfolk Southern Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do EchoStar (ECHO) and Norfolk Southern (NSC) 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

EchoStar (ECHO) and Norfolk Southern (NSC) both fall under the Transportation industry group, but ECHO is classified in Air Freight & Logistics while NSC is classified in Ground Transportation.

Company profile comparison for EchoStar (ECHO) and Norfolk Southern (NSC)
Profile Item	ECHO	NSC
Name	EchoStar Corp. Class A Common Stock	Norfolk Southern Corp.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Transportation	Transportation
GICS Industry	Air Freight & Logistics	Ground Transportation
GICS Sub-Industry	Air Freight & Logistics	Rail Transportation
Market Capitalization	27.53 billion USD	71.86 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	January 2, 2008	June 2, 1982
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ECHO

NSC

GSPC

EchoStar (ECHO) vs. Norfolk Southern (NSC), 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 EchoStar (ECHO) and Norfolk Southern (NSC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for EchoStar (ECHO) and Norfolk Southern (NSC). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for EchoStar (ECHO) and Norfolk Southern (NSC)
Metric	ECHO	NSC
Total Return (1Y)	36.02%	16.63%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	114.76%	21.35%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	29.96%	4.94%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ECHO

NSC

GSPC

EchoStar (ECHO) vs. Norfolk Southern (NSC), 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 EchoStar (ECHO) and Norfolk Southern (NSC). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for EchoStar (ECHO) and Norfolk Southern (NSC)
Metric	ECHO	NSC
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	55.50%	21.75%
Beta (5Y)	1.08	1.19
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-68.02%	-35.64%
Avg. Volume (3M)	3.68M	1.02M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ECHO and NSC 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 EchoStar (ECHO) and Norfolk Southern (NSC)
Metric	ECHO	NSC
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.57	0.57
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.86	0.86

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

EchoStar (ECHO) at 82.35% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Norfolk Southern (NSC) at 16.84%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

ECHO

Transportation industry group

82.35%

ECHO: 82.35%
Max: 45.08%
Q3: 22.02%
Median: 13.94%
Q1: 2.89%
Min: -10.45%

NSC

Transportation industry group

16.84%

Max: 45.08%
Q3: 22.02%
NSC: 16.84%
Median: 13.94%
Q1: 2.89%
Min: -10.45%

EchoStar (ECHO) vs. Norfolk Southern (NSC): A comparison of their ROE against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

EchoStar (ECHO) at 81.29% converts revenue to bottom-line profit above its industry’s benchmark range, while Norfolk Southern (NSC) at 20.71% keeps roughly the typical share for its industry.

ECHO

Transportation industry group

81.29%

ECHO: 81.29%
Max: 50.36%
Q3: 21.18%
Median: 5.58%
Q1: 1.55%
Min: -11.37%

NSC

Transportation industry group

20.71%

Max: 50.36%
Q3: 21.18%
NSC: 20.71%
Median: 5.58%
Q1: 1.55%
Min: -11.37%

EchoStar (ECHO) vs. Norfolk Southern (NSC): A comparison of their net margin against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Norfolk Southern (NSC) at 35.42% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of EchoStar (ECHO) at 13.82%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

ECHO

Transportation industry group

13.82%

Max: 59.18%
Q3: 29.30%
ECHO: 13.82%
Median: 11.50%
Q1: 4.62%
Min: -8.91%

NSC

Transportation industry group

35.42%

Max: 59.18%
NSC: 35.42%
Q3: 29.30%
Median: 11.50%
Q1: 4.62%
Min: -8.91%

EchoStar (ECHO) vs. Norfolk Southern (NSC): A comparison of their operating margin against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for EchoStar (ECHO) and Norfolk Southern (NSC)
Metric	ECHO	NSC
ROE (TTM)	82.35%	16.84%
ROA (TTM)	2.09%	6.03%
Net Margin (TTM)	81.29%	20.71%
Operating Margin (TTM)	13.82%	35.42%
Gross Margin (TTM)	32.49%	44.68%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Norfolk Southern (NSC) at 0.47% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while EchoStar (ECHO) at -5.18% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

EchoStar (ECHO) vs. Norfolk Southern (NSC): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Norfolk Southern (NSC) reports EPS growth of 10.20%, ranked against its industry; EchoStar (ECHO) has no EPS growth figure this period.

EchoStar (ECHO) vs. Norfolk Southern (NSC): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for EchoStar (ECHO) and Norfolk Southern (NSC)
Metric	ECHO	NSC
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-5.18%	0.47%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-6.97%	-1.50%
EPS Growth (YoY)	--	10.20%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	-2.79%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Norfolk Southern (NSC) at 0.90 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while EchoStar (ECHO) at 10.16 sits above its industry’s typical mid-range — comfortable liquidity, though possibly with more idle current assets relative to peers.

ECHO

Transportation industry group

10.16

ECHO: 10.16
Max: 2.58
Q3: 1.62
Median: 1.16
Q1: 0.78
Min: 0.22

NSC

Transportation industry group

0.90

Max: 2.58
Q3: 1.62
Median: 1.16
NSC: 0.90
Q1: 0.78
Min: 0.22

EchoStar (ECHO) vs. Norfolk Southern (NSC): A comparison of their current ratio against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both EchoStar (ECHO) at 0.57 and Norfolk Southern (NSC) at 1.02 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

ECHO

Transportation industry group

0.57

Max: 2.75
Q3: 1.37
Median: 0.78
ECHO: 0.57
Q1: 0.35
Min: 0.00

NSC

Transportation industry group

1.02

Max: 2.75
Q3: 1.37
NSC: 1.02
Median: 0.78
Q1: 0.35
Min: 0.00

EchoStar (ECHO) vs. Norfolk Southern (NSC): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for EchoStar (ECHO) and Norfolk Southern (NSC)
Metric	ECHO	NSC
Current Ratio (MRQ)	10.16	0.90
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.57	1.02
Net Debt / EBITDA	-2.14	2.68

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

EchoStar (ECHO) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Norfolk Southern (NSC) reports a yield of 1.65%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ECHO

Transportation industry group

0.00%

Max: 4.68%
Q3: 1.99%
Median: 0.74%
ECHO: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

NSC

Transportation industry group

1.65%

Max: 4.68%
Q3: 1.99%
NSC: 1.65%
Median: 0.74%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

EchoStar (ECHO) vs. Norfolk Southern (NSC): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

EchoStar (ECHO) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Norfolk Southern (NSC) reports a payout of 45.26%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ECHO

Transportation industry group

0.00%

Max: 100.89%
Q3: 41.68%
Median: 20.43%
ECHO: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

NSC

Transportation industry group

45.26%

Max: 100.89%
NSC: 45.26%
Q3: 41.68%
Median: 20.43%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

EchoStar (ECHO) vs. Norfolk Southern (NSC): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for EchoStar (ECHO) and Norfolk Southern (NSC)
Metric	ECHO	NSC
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	1.65%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	45.26%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

EchoStar (ECHO) at 3.43 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Norfolk Southern (NSC) at 26.82 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for ECHO, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

ECHO

Transportation industry group

3.43

Max: 46.76
Q3: 30.87
Median: 20.58
Q1: 10.44
ECHO: 3.43
Min: 0.00

NSC

Transportation industry group

26.82

Max: 46.76
Q3: 30.87
NSC: 26.82
Median: 20.58
Q1: 10.44
Min: 0.00

EchoStar (ECHO) vs. Norfolk Southern (NSC): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on sales: EchoStar (ECHO) at 2.26 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and Norfolk Southern (NSC) at 5.54 prices even higher, above its industry range.

ECHO

Transportation industry group

2.26

Max: 4.35
ECHO: 2.26
Q3: 2.07
Median: 0.93
Q1: 0.53
Min: 0.04

NSC

Transportation industry group

5.54

NSC: 5.54
Max: 4.35
Q3: 2.07
Median: 0.93
Q1: 0.53
Min: 0.04

EchoStar (ECHO) vs. Norfolk Southern (NSC): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

EchoStar (ECHO) at 1.62 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Norfolk Southern (NSC) at 4.30 carries an above-peer premium to book — NSC is pricier on assets.

ECHO

Transportation industry group

1.62

Max: 6.29
Q3: 3.39
Median: 1.90
ECHO: 1.62
Q1: 1.03
Min: -2.07

NSC

Transportation industry group

4.30

Max: 6.29
NSC: 4.30
Q3: 3.39
Median: 1.90
Q1: 1.03
Min: -2.07

EchoStar (ECHO) vs. Norfolk Southern (NSC): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for EchoStar (ECHO) and Norfolk Southern (NSC)
Metric	ECHO	NSC
P/E Ratio (TTM)	3.43	26.82
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.26	5.54
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.62	4.30
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-8.28%	2.25%