NSC vs URI: Correlation
Norfolk Southern (NSC) and United Rentals (URI) show a moderate relationship: their 3-year correlation of weekly returns is 0.52.
Data as of 2026-08-27 · refreshed every trading day · weekly returns · methodology
How correlated are NSC and URI?
Across a 3-year window, the weekly returns of NSC and URI correlate at 0.52, moderate. Little has changed lately, as the 1-year reading of 0.43 lands near the 3-year figure. Stretching to 5 years gives 0.50, with an annualized covariance of 451.7 %².
Among the 32 assets we track against NSC, URI ranks #19 by 3-year correlation. Their recent paths diverged sharply: over the last 12 months NSC outperformed by 19.8 percentage points (+30.0% for NSC against +10.2% for URI). On a rolling one-year basis the correlation drifted between 0.37 and 0.73, a moderate band. One caveat on sizing: URI is 1.8 times as volatile as the other leg, so an equal-dollar split is far from equal-risk.
How is this computed?
Pearson correlation on weekly returns: ρ(A,B) = cov(rA, rB) / (σA · σB), over windows of 52, 156 and 260 weeks. Covariance is annualized (×52) and expressed in %². Full definitions on the methodology page.
NSC vs URI: side by side
| NSC (Norfolk Southern) | URI (United Rentals) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | +30.0% | +10.2% |
| 5-year return | +49.6% | +204.1% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 22.0% | 39.5% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 0.69 | 1.42 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -25.1% | -37.0% |
| Market cap | $78.1B | $64.6B |
| P/E (trailing) | 30.1 | 25.4 |
| Dividend yield | 1.53% | 0.71% |
| Sector / category | Industrials | Industrials |
Year-by-year returns
| Year | NSC | URI |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -15.6% | +7.0% |
| 2023 | -1.6% | +63.6% |
| 2024 | +1.6% | +24.0% |
| 2025 | +25.6% | +15.9% |
| 2026 | +22.0% | +29.0% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Are NSC and URI good diversifiers for each other?
To a limited degree. At 0.52 the two still catch most of the same waves, so the pair smooths returns a little without insulating either from a shared selloff.
FAQ
What is the correlation between NSC and URI?
As of 2026-08-27, the correlation of weekly returns between NSC and URI is 0.52 over 3 years, 0.43 over 1 year and 0.50 over 5 years.
Is URI a good diversifier for NSC?
To a limited degree. At 0.52 the two still catch most of the same waves, so the pair smooths returns a little without insulating either from a shared selloff.
What does a correlation of 0.52 mean?
On the −1 to +1 scale, 0.52 describes how much the two returns move together: +1 is lockstep, 0 is independence, negative values mean opposite directions. It says nothing about which performed better.
Use this data
$ curl https://www.pairbook.io/api/v1/pairs/nsc-vs-uri.json
Markdown for the live badge, attribution link included:
[](https://www.pairbook.io/pair/nsc-vs-uri/)
The core API is free. Terms and every endpoint in the API documentation.
Related comparisons
Hubs: NSC correlations · URI correlations
