Jacobs Solutions vs Norfolk Southern
Add, change or remove companies; up to four.
KIRA’s take AI analyst
I put Jacobs Solutions and Norfolk Southern side by side, using each one’s latest annual report. Here is what stands out:
- Norfolk Southern is the larger business, with $12.2B of revenue in fiscal 2025 against $12.0B for Jacobs Solutions.
- Jacobs Solutions grew revenue faster (4.6%, against 0.5%).
- Norfolk Southern kept more of each dollar of sales as operating profit (35.8% operating margin, against 7.2%).
- Norfolk Southern turned more of its sales into free cash flow (17.7% FCF margin, against 5.1%).
- Norfolk Southern earned a higher return on the capital invested in it (11.2%, against 10.1%).
- Investors pay more for each dollar of Jacobs Solutions’s earnings: a P/E of 50.9x against 27.7x for Norfolk Southern.
Who comes out ahead
Of the 10 measures where higher (or lower) is clearly better, how many each company leads.
Jacobs Solutions
J
4/10
Revenue growthPiotroski F-scoreNet debt / EBITDAShare count change
Norfolk Southern
NSC
6/10
5-year growthOperating marginNet marginFCF marginReturn on capitalReturn on equity
Side by side
Best in the row
| Latest fiscal year | J FY25 | NSC FY25 |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| Market cap | $17.2B | $74.3B |
| Revenue | $12.0B | $12.2B |
| Free cash flow | $607M | $2.2B |
| Net income | $289M | $2.9B |
| Growth | ||
| Revenue growth | 4.6% | 0.5% |
| 5-year growth | −2.4% | 4.5% |
| Share count change | −3.1% | −0.5% |
| Profitability | ||
| Gross margin | 24.8% | — |
| Operating margin | 7.2% | 35.8% |
| Net margin | 2.4% | 23.6% |
| FCF margin | 5.1% | 17.7% |
| Return on capital | 10.1% | 11.2% |
| Return on equity | 7.1% | 19.3% |
| Balance sheet | ||
| Net debt | $1.0B | $15.6B |
| Net debt / EBITDA | 1.1x | 2.7x |
| Dividends and buybacks | $907M | $1.7B |
| Valuation & quality | ||
| P/E | 50.9x | 27.7x |
| Piotroski F-score | 7 | 6 |
Ten years
Revenue
Operating margin
Free cash flow
Return on capital
Each company's latest fiscal year; fiscal years end in different months. The best value in each row is highlighted where higher (or lower) is clearly better. Not investment advice.