Reviewing Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) and U-Haul (NYSE:UHAL.B)

U-Haul (NYSE:UHAL.B) and Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) are both industrials companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, dividends, institutional ownership, profitability, analyst recommendations, earnings and risk.

Profitability

This table compares U-Haul and Norfolk Southern’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
U-Haul	N/A	N/A	N/A
Norfolk Southern	21.02%	18.21%	6.34%

Insider and Institutional Ownership

75.1% of Norfolk Southern shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.1% of Norfolk Southern shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares U-Haul and Norfolk Southern”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
U-Haul	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Norfolk Southern	$12.18 billion	6.43	$2.87 billion	$11.72	29.75

Norfolk Southern has higher revenue and earnings than U-Haul.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for U-Haul and Norfolk Southern, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
U-Haul	0	0	0	0	0.00
Norfolk Southern	0	15	7	0	2.32

Norfolk Southern has a consensus price target of $348.00, indicating a potential downside of 0.19%. Given Norfolk Southern’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Norfolk Southern is more favorable than U-Haul.

Summary

Norfolk Southern beats U-Haul on 9 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About U-Haul

U-Haul Holding Company operates as a do-it-yourself moving and storage operator for household and commercial goods in the United States and Canada. The company’s Moving and Storage segment rents trucks, trailers, portable moving and storage units, specialty rental items, and self-storage spaces primarily to the household movers; and sells moving supplies, towing accessories, and propane. It also provides uhaul.com, an online marketplace that connects consumers to independent Moving Help service providers and independent self-storage affiliates; auto transport and tow dolly options to transport vehicles; and specialty boxes for dishes, computers, flat screen television, and sensitive electronic equipment, as well as tapes, security locks, and packing supplies. This segment rents its products and services through a network of approximately 2,300 company operated retail moving stores and 21,000 independent U-Haul dealers. It also has a rental fleet of approximately 188,700 trucks, 139,400 trailers, and 43,700 towing devices; and 1,962 self-storage locations with approximately 1,004,000 rentable storage units. The company’s Property and Casualty Insurance segment offers loss adjusting and claims handling services. It also provides moving and storage protection packages, such as Safemove and Safetow packages, which offer moving and towing customers with a damage waiver, cargo protection, and medical and life insurance coverage; Safestor that protects storage customers from loss on their goods in storage; Safestor Mobile, which protects customers stored belongings; and Safemove Plus, which provides rental customers with a layer of primary liability protection. Its Life Insurance segment provides life and health insurance products primarily to the senior market through the direct writing and reinsuring of life insurance, Medicare supplement, and annuity policies. The company was formerly known as AMERCO. The company was founded in 1945 and is based in Reno, Nevada.

About Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the rail transportation of raw materials, intermediate products, and finished goods in the United States. The company transports agriculture, forest, and consumer products comprising soybeans, wheat, corn, fertilizers, livestock and poultry feed, food products, food oils, flour, sweeteners, ethanol, lumber and wood products, pulp board and paper products, wood fibers, wood pulp, beverages, and canned goods; chemicals consist of sulfur and related chemicals, petroleum products comprising crude oil, chlorine and bleaching compounds, plastics, rubber, industrial chemicals, chemical wastes, sand, and natural gas liquids; metals and construction materials, such as steel, aluminum products, machinery, scrap metals, cement, aggregates, minerals, clay, transportation equipment, and military-related products; and automotive, including finished motor vehicles and automotive parts, as well as coal. It also transports overseas freight through various Atlantic and Gulf Coast ports; and operates an intermodal network. As of December 31, 2023, the company operated approximately 19,100 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia. Norfolk Southern Corporation was incorporated in 1980 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.