FDXF vs. NSC: FedEx Freight vs. Norfolk Southern Stock Comparison

Company Profile

FedEx Freight (FDXF) and Norfolk Southern (NSC) both belong to the Ground Transportation industry, though FDXF is classified under Cargo Ground Transportation while NSC falls under Rail Transportation.

Norfolk Southern (NSC) has been public since June 2, 1982, giving it decades of market history across multiple cycles, while FedEx Freight (FDXF) listed only on May 27, 2026 and lacks comparable through-cycle data.

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

FedEx Freight (FDXF) reports a negative beta of -1.72, suggesting inverse market sensitivity over the measurement window. That is uncommon for ordinary equities and can reflect commodity-linked or hedge-like exposure, but it can also come from statistical noise. Norfolk Southern (NSC) has a non-negative beta of 1.19.

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Both FDXF and NSC need 1-year volatility and 1-year return to plot risk-return positioning.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

FedEx Freight (FDXF) at 69.09% 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.

Both FedEx Freight (FDXF) at 7.45% and Norfolk Southern (NSC) at 20.71% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

Norfolk Southern (NSC) at 35.42% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of FedEx Freight (FDXF) at 14.66%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

Both FedEx Freight (FDXF) at -1.09% and Norfolk Southern (NSC) at 0.47% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Both FedEx Freight (FDXF) at -51.34% and Norfolk Southern (NSC) at 10.20% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

Both FedEx Freight (FDXF) at 1.52 and Norfolk Southern (NSC) at 0.90 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

Only one side’s leverage can be read here: Norfolk Southern (NSC) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02 against its industry range, while FedEx Freight (FDXF) reports no figure this period.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

FedEx Freight (FDXF) 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.

FedEx Freight (FDXF) 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.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

Norfolk Southern (NSC) at 26.82 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while FedEx Freight (FDXF) at 36.23 sits in the richer quartile — FDXF needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

Both look expensive on sales: FedEx Freight (FDXF) at 2.10 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and Norfolk Southern (NSC) at 5.54 prices even higher, above its industry range.

FedEx Freight (FDXF) reports a negative P/B ratio of -73.55, meaning negative book equity — the multiple itself is not meaningful for valuation. Meanwhile Norfolk Southern (NSC) reports 4.30, ranking against industry peers normally.

Valuation Metrics