UNP (Union Pacific Corp) vs S&P 500 Comparison

UNP

S&P 500

Compare the stock's returns with its benchmark index and competitors. Gain insights into its relative performance over time.

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UNP

S&P 500

Difference

1Y 3Y 5Y 10Y 15Y 20Y

UNP

S&P 500

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Compare the stock's returns with its benchmark index and competitors. Gain insights into its relative performance over time.

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S&P 500

UNP

CNR

CSX

NSC

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Compare the stock's returns with its benchmark index and competitors. Gain insights into its relative performance over time.

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Union Pacific Corp
Glance View

Economic Moat

Wide

Market Cap

140.7B USD

Industry

Road & Rail

Union Pacific Corp., a stalwart in the American railroad industry, traces its roots back to the days when iron rails began knitting the vast expanses of the United States together. As one of the major freight rail networks, Union Pacific operates over 32,000 miles of track, stretching from the Midwest to the Pacific coast. Its extensive network serves as a vital conduit for economic activity, transporting everything from agricultural products in the heartland to automobiles rolling off assembly lines. This rail giant's revenue streams stem primarily from moving a diverse array of goods including intermodal containers, coal, chemicals, and industrial products. By efficiently managing logistics and leveraging an extensive infrastructure, Union Pacific turns rail transportation into a strategic advantage. The company's operations are robustly supported by investments in technology and infrastructure, ensuring the trains run smoothly and safely across its expansive network. Union Pacific's commitment to innovation shines through in its use of data analytics and automated systems that optimize train routing and scheduling, enhancing the reliability of their services. Moreover, by ensuring timely and dependable delivery of goods, Union Pacific secures long-term contracts with major manufacturers and shippers, providing sturdy revenue streams. Thus, the company thrives on the synergy of scale, efficiency, and a deep-rooted presence in the American economic landscape, propelling industries and communities forward one railcar at a time.

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UNP Intrinsic Value

What is Intrinsic Value?

Economic Moat is a concept popularized by Warren Buffett to describe a company's durable competitive advantage. It represents the 'moat' that protects a company from competitors and helps it sustain profitability over the long term. Our analysis of the past 10 years showed that companies with a wide economic moat significantly outperformed the market, delivering +645% returns compared to +189% for the S&P 500.

Our research into Economic Moat performance spans the past 10 years and focuses on companies with a wide economic moat. For this analysis, we calculated the average stock price returns of these companies, comparing them to the performance of the S&P 500 index over the same period.

The results were compelling: wide moat stocks achieved a remarkable +645% average return, compared to +188% for the broader market. This difference highlights the long-term benefits of investing in businesses that can maintain their market position and pricing power over time.

Note: This research does not account for survivorship bias. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Determining whether a company has an economic moat requires both a deep dive into financial metrics and a qualitative assessment of its competitive position. Our analysts conduct a rigorous evaluation that focuses on identifying structural advantages that enable a company to sustain profitability and defend its market share over the long term.

The process begins with an analysis of a company’s historical financial performance. We assess how consistently the company has generated returns above its cost of capital and whether those returns have been stable or improving. However, financial performance alone doesn’t reveal the full picture. To understand the sources of these advantages, we evaluate five key drivers of economic moats:

Network Effect: We analyze whether the value of a company’s product or service grows as its user base expands. Platforms like payment systems or marketplaces benefit from this self-reinforcing.

Switching Costs: We assess whether customers face significant costs or disruptions when switching to a competitor’s product or service. High switching costs create customer stickiness and provide pricing power.

Intangible Assets: Strong brands, patents, and regulatory licenses can protect a company’s market position by creating barriers for competitors or enabling premium pricing. For example, a well-recognized consumer brand may command higher customer loyalty and margins.

Efficient scale: Occurs when a market is optimally served by one or a few players, making it unprofitable for new entrants to compete. This typically happens in industries with high fixed costs or geographic constraints, such as utilities or pipelines.

Cost Advantage: Companies with structural cost advantages can produce goods or services at a lower cost than their competitors, enabling them to offer competitive pricing or maintain higher margins. These advantages often arise from economies of scale, superior supply chain management, or proprietary technology. Firms like Walmart leverage their massive scale to negotiate better terms with suppliers, allowing them to undercut competitors on price.

By examining these factors in combination with a company’s financial performance and market positioning, we classify each company into one of three categories:

This rigorous evaluation ensures that our moat ratings are both comprehensive and reliable, giving investors the tools they need to make well-informed, long-term decisions.

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UNP

vs

S&P 500

Stocks Performance
UNP vs S&P 500

Performance Gap
UNP vs S&P 500

Performance By Year
UNP vs S&P 500

Competitors Performance
Union Pacific Corp vs Peers

Union Pacific Corp
Glance View

Company

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Tools

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CA		Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd TSX:CP	Add
CA		Canadian National Railway Co TSX:CNR	Add
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CN		Beijing-Shanghai High Speed Railway Co Ltd SSE:601816	Add
US	K	Kansas City Southern LSE:0JQ4	Add
HK		MTR Corp Ltd HKEX:66	Add
JP		East Japan Railway Co TSE:9020	Add
JP		Central Japan Railway Co TSE:9022	Add
CN		Daqin Railway Co Ltd SSE:601006	Add

CA		Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd TSX:CP	Select
CA		Canadian National Railway Co TSX:CNR	Select
US		CSX Corp NASDAQ:CSX	Select
US		Norfolk Southern Corp NYSE:NSC	Select
CN		Beijing-Shanghai High Speed Railway Co Ltd SSE:601816	Select
US	K	Kansas City Southern LSE:0JQ4	Select
HK		MTR Corp Ltd HKEX:66	Select
JP		East Japan Railway Co TSE:9020	Select
JP		Central Japan Railway Co TSE:9022	Select
CN		Daqin Railway Co Ltd SSE:601006	Select

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UNP vs S&P 500

Stocks Performance UNP vs S&P 500

Performance Gap UNP vs S&P 500

Performance By Year UNP vs S&P 500

Competitors Performance Union Pacific Corp vs Peers

Union Pacific Corp Glance View

Company

Help

Tools

Stocks

UNP

vs

S&P 500

Stocks Performance
UNP vs S&P 500

Performance Gap
UNP vs S&P 500

Performance By Year
UNP vs S&P 500

Competitors Performance
Union Pacific Corp vs Peers

Union Pacific Corp
Glance View