NSC vs. ZTO: Norfolk Southern vs. ZTO Express (Cayman) Stock Comparison

Company Profile

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

Norfolk Southern (NSC) trades as ordinary local shares, while ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) reports a negative beta of -0.18, 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

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

Both Norfolk Southern (NSC) at 16.84% and ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) at 16.28% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Both Norfolk Southern (NSC) at 20.71% and ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) at 19.04% 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 ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) at 22.19%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) at 10.88% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Norfolk Southern (NSC) at 0.47% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for ZTO.

Both Norfolk Southern (NSC) at 10.20% and ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) at 4.58% 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

Norfolk Southern (NSC) at 0.90 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) at 1.67 sits above its industry’s typical mid-range — comfortable liquidity, though possibly with more idle current assets relative to peers.

Both Norfolk Southern (NSC) at 1.02 and ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) at 0.35 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

Norfolk Southern (NSC) at 1.65% pays an industry-typical yield; ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) at 12.89% is above its entire peer range — the higher number, but one that calls for a look at payout sustainability before treating it as an advantage.

ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) at 38.36% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Norfolk Southern (NSC) at 45.26% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

Both Norfolk Southern (NSC) at 26.82 and ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) at 11.37 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) at 0.29 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Norfolk Southern (NSC) at 5.54 prices above its industry range — a wide gap in sales valuation between them.

ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) at 1.66 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.

Valuation Metrics