Norfolk Southern Corporation vs American Airlines Group Inc.
NSC wins the Tale of the Tape 7–2.
🏆 Tale of the Tape
Green = winner in each category. Higher is better except P/E (lower = cheaper).
Rolling Correlation
Moderately correlated — some diversification benefit from holding both.
Fundamentals
| Metric | NSC | AAL |
|---|---|---|
| Market Cap | $68.5B | $9.7B |
| P/E Ratio | 25.7x | 47.2x |
| Forward P/E | 22.6x | 6.6x |
| P/B | 4.33x | -2.38x |
| Dividend Yield | 1.77% | — |
| Beta | 1.29 | 1.28 |
Quantitative Metrics
| Metric | NSC | AAL |
|---|---|---|
| DCF Fair Value | $167.34 | — |
| DCF Upside | -43.8% | — |
| Piotroski F | 6/9 | 4/9 |
| Altman Z | 2.33 | 0.66 |
| Beneish M | -2.62 | -2.55 |
| FCF Yield | 2.65% | -5.62% |
| Net Debt/EBITDA | 2.6x | 6.0x |
| ROIC | 8.5% | 4.0% |
| WACC | 11.1% | 6.0% |
| ROIC – WACC | -2.6pp | -2.0pp |
| Gross Margin | 36.4% | 19.2% |
| Net Margin | 23.6% | 0.2% |
| Rev Growth YoY | 0.5% | 0.8% |
| Sharpe (1Y) | 1.48 | 0.17 |
| Max Drawdown 3Y | — | — |
| FCF Payout Ratio | 56% | — |
NSC Price
AAL Price
ETF Exposure
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Quant metrics computed from financial statements and 1,200+ trading days. Correlation is Pearson coefficient on daily log returns. Not investment advice.
NSC vs AAL: Head-to-Head Analysis
Norfolk Southern Corporation (NSC) and American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL) represent two companies in the Industrials sector. In our quantitative Tale of the Tape scoring, NSC leads 7–2 across nine fundamental and risk metrics including profitability, valuation, capital efficiency, and financial health.
In terms of capital efficiency, NSC generates a return on invested capital (ROIC) of 8.5% compared to AAL's 4.0%. This suggests NSC is more effective at deploying capital to generate shareholder returns.
The 252-day rolling correlation between NSC and AAL is 0.318, indicating moderate co-movement, with some diversification value from holding both in a portfolio context.
NSC appears in 26 ETFs tracked by SecuritiesDB, while AAL appears in 19 ETFs. Investors holding broad-market ETFs may already have indirect exposure to both stocks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which stock is the better investment, NSC or AAL?
Our quantitative analysis compares NSC and AAL across nine fundamental dimensions. NSC wins the Tale of the Tape 7–2. However, stock selection depends on your individual risk tolerance, time horizon, and portfolio context. These metrics are computed from SEC filings and market data — they are not investment recommendations.
Are NSC and AAL correlated?
The 252-day correlation between NSC and AAL is 0.318. They show moderate correlation — partially diversifying.
How is the Tale of the Tape scored?
The Tale of the Tape compares both stocks across nine categories: profitability (net margin), valuation (P/E), efficiency (ROIC), health (Piotroski F-Score), safety (Altman Z-Score), growth (revenue YoY), risk (Sharpe ratio), leverage (debt-to-equity), and cash generation (FCF yield). The stock that wins more categories takes the overall score. Lower P/E and lower debt-to-equity count as wins.