Sifting through countless of stocks in the Ground Transportation industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in CSX Corporation or Union Pacific Corporation because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how CSX Corporation and Union Pacific Corporation compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About CSX Corporation and Union Pacific Corporation

CSX Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides rail-based freight transportation services in the United States and Canada. It operates through two segments: rail and trucking. The company offers rail services; and transportation of intermodal containers and trailers, as well as other transportation services, such as rail-to-truck transfers and bulk commodity operations. It also transports chemicals, agricultural and food products, minerals, automotive, forest products, fertilizers, and metals and equipment; and coal, coke, and iron ore to electricity-generating power plants, steel manufacturers, and industrial plants, as well as exports coal to deep-water port facilities. In addition, the company provides intermodal services through a network of approximately 30 terminals transporting manufactured consumer goods in containers; and drayage services, including the pickup and delivery of intermodal shipments. It serves the automotive industry with distribution centers and storage locations, as well as connects non-rail served customers through transferring products, such as plastics and ethanol from rail to trucks. The company operates approximately 20,000 route mile rail network, which serves various population centers in 26 states east of the Mississippi River, the District of Columbia, and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec, as well as owns 3400 locomotives. It serves production and distribution facilities through track connections. CSX Corporation was incorporated in 1978 and is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida.

Union Pacific Corporation, through its subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad Company, operates in the railroad business in the United States. It offers transportation services for grain and grain products, fertilizers, food and refrigerated products, and coal and renewables to grain processors, animal feeders, and ethanol and renewable biofuel producers; and construction products, industrial chemicals, plastics, forest products, specialized products, metals and ores, petroleum, liquid petroleum gases, soda ash, and sand, as well as finished automobiles, automotive parts, and merchandise in intermodal containers. The company was founded in 1862 and is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska.

Latest Ground Transportation and CSX Corporation, Union Pacific Corporation Stock News

As of June 18, 2026, CSX Corporation had a $84.7 billion market capitalization, compared to the Ground Transportation median of $5.9 million. CSX Corporation’s stock is up 25.9% in 2026, down 4.1% in the previous five trading days and up 42% in the past year.

Currently, CSX Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 28.0. CSX Corporation’s trailing 12-month revenue is $14.2 billion with a 21.6% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 1.7%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $1.912 per share for the current fiscal year. CSX Corporation currently has a 1.2% dividend yield.

As of June 18, 2026, Union Pacific Corporation had a $152.5 billion market cap, putting it in the 98th percentile of all stocks. Union Pacific Corporation’s stock is up 11% in 2026, down 5.8% in the previous five trading days and up 16.45% in the past year.

Currently, Union Pacific Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 21.1. Union Pacific Corporation’s trailing 12-month revenue is $24.7 billion with a 29.2% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 3.2%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $12.587 per share for the current fiscal year. Union Pacific Corporation currently has a 2.1% dividend yield.

How We Compare CSX Corporation and Union Pacific Corporation Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at CSX Corporation and Union Pacific Corporation’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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CSX Corporation and Union Pacific Corporation’s Quality Grades

Company	Ticker	Quality
CSX Corporation	CSX	B
Union Pacific Corporation	UNP	A

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

CSX Corporation has a Quality Score of 75, which is Strong. Union Pacific Corporation has a Quality Score of 93, which is Very Strong.

The Quality Grade Winner: Union Pacific Corporation

As you can clearly see from the Quality Grade breakdown above, Union Pacific Corporation has a better overall quality grade than CSX Corporation. For investors who are looking for companies with higher quality than others in the same industry, Union Pacific Corporation could be a good stock to add to their portfolios. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

CSX Corporation and Union Pacific Corporation’s Momentum Grades

Company	Ticker	Momentum
CSX Corporation	CSX	B
Union Pacific Corporation	UNP	C

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

CSX Corporation has a Momentum Score of 68, which is Strong. Union Pacific Corporation has a Momentum Score of 51, which is Average.

The Momentum Grade Winner: CSX Corporation

As you can clearly see from the Momentum Grade breakdown above, CSX Corporation is considered to have stronger momentum compared to Union Pacific Corporation. For those specifically looking for companies that have stronger momentum compared to other companies in the same industry, CSX Corporation could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

CSX Corporation and Union Pacific Corporation’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company	Ticker	Earnings Estimate
CSX Corporation	CSX	B
Union Pacific Corporation	UNP	C

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

CSX Corporation has a Earnings Estimate Score of 61, which is Positive. Union Pacific Corporation has a Earnings Estimate Score of 55, which is Neutral.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade Winner: CSX Corporation

As you can clearly see from the Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade breakdown above, CSX Corporation has a better Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade than Union Pacific Corporation. For those who are specifically looking for companies with better short-term prospects when compared to other companies in the same industry, CSX Corporation could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Other CSX Corporation and Union Pacific Corporation Grades

In addition to Estimate Revisions, Quality and Momentum, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Growth.

Growth investing builds on the idea that stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth outperform those of slower-growth companies. AAII measures growth through consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations.

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether CSX Corporation and Union Pacific Corporation pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, CSX Corporation or Union Pacific Corporation Stock?

Overall, CSX Corporation stock has a Momentum Score of 68, Estimate Revisions Score of 61 and Quality Score of 75.

Union Pacific Corporation stock has a Momentum Score of 51, Estimate Revisions Score of 55 and Quality Score of 93.

Comparing CSX Corporation and Union Pacific Corporation’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.