CP vs UNP Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
Compare CPKC and Union Pacific by Mexico corridor opportunity, intermodal volume growth, precision scheduled railroading adoption, operating ratio improvement, and which Class I railroad offers better long-term compounding.
Use this Canadian Pacific Kansas City vs Union Pacific comparison to evaluate the key differences across valuation, growth, profitability, and risk before making an investment decision.
CP and UNP are closely matched — they split the tracked metrics evenly. UNP has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+39.36% vs +22.09%), though CP has the better forward P/E setup (15.54x vs 21.76x for UNP). Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for CP (+5.39%) than for UNP (+1.63%).
| Metric | CP | UNP |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | 47.2 | 48.4 |
| AI rank | #648 | #590 |
| Latest close | $92.36 | $307.32 |
| 1M return | +9.18% | +18.22% |
| 6M return | +28.10% | +33.82% |
| 1Y return | +22.09% | +39.36% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | CP | UNP |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $12.29K (+22.9%) started 2025-07-24 | $13.67K (+36.7%) started 2025-07-25 |
| 5Y ago | $13.7K (+37.0%) started 2021-07-26 | $16.56K (+65.6%) started 2021-07-26 |
| 10Y ago | $37.69K (+276.9%) started 2016-07-25 | $49.8K (+398.0%) started 2016-07-25 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | CP | UNP |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $81.99B | $179.15B |
| Trailing P/E | 29.04 | 24.81 |
| Forward P/E | 15.54 | 21.76 |
| Price/Sales | 5.47 | 5.51 |
| EV/Revenue | 7.13 | 8.49 |
| Analyst target | $97.34 | $306.67 |
| Target upside | +5.39% | +1.63% |
| Metric | CP | UNP |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | -2.50% | 3.20% |
| Earnings growth | -3.10% | 6.20% |
| EPS growth | -3.10% | +6.20% |
| FCF margin | +12.70% | +16.33% |
| Operating margin | N/A | 40.36% |
| Profit margin | 27.21% | 29.20% |
| ROIC proxy | 8.43% | 40.69% |
| Return on equity | 8.43% | 40.69% |
| Dividend yield | 0.74% | 1.83% |
| Beta | 1.22 | 0.96 |
| Debt/equity | 51.29 | 162.25 |
| Current ratio | 0.67 | 0.92 |
| Quick ratio | 0.51 | 0.66 |
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | CP | UNP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | +22.09% | +36.74% |
| CAGR | +22.11% | +36.87% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.80 | 1.33 | |
| Max drawdown | 13.10% | 12.28% | |
| Max daily drop | 4.06% | 4.43% | |
| Max wkly drop | 6.14% | 6.19% | |
| 5Y | Growth | +31.70% | +51.86% |
| CAGR | +5.67% | +8.72% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.16 | 0.28 | |
| Max drawdown | 25.88% | 31.83% | |
| Max daily drop | 6.60% | 6.80% | |
| Max wkly drop | 10.59% | 12.20% | |
| 10Y | Growth | +243.61% | +303.65% |
| CAGR | +13.14% | +14.98% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.44 | 0.50 | |
| Max drawdown | 33.70% | 38.72% | |
| Max daily drop | 17.57% | 13.03% | |
| Max wkly drop | 21.11% | 18.71% |
| Category | CP | UNP |
|---|---|---|
| Company | CP | UNP |
| Sector | N/A | Industrials |
| Industry | N/A | Railroads |
| Core business | N/A | N/A |
| Investor focus | N/A | N/A |
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