Reviewing Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) and Bollore (OTCMKTS:BOIVF)

Bollore (OTCMKTS:BOIVF) and Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) are both large-cap transportation companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, valuation and dividends.

Profitability

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

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Bollore	N/A	N/A	N/A
Norfolk Southern	27.51%	19.35%	6.35%

Institutional and Insider Ownership

75.1% of Norfolk Southern shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.1% of Norfolk Southern shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Bollore and Norfolk Southern”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Bollore	$3.39 billion	4.76	$1.97 billion	N/A	N/A
Norfolk Southern	$12.12 billion	5.09	$2.62 billion	$14.80	18.55

Norfolk Southern has higher revenue and earnings than Bollore.

Risk and Volatility

Bollore has a beta of 0.78, meaning that its stock price is 22% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Norfolk Southern has a beta of 1.31, meaning that its stock price is 31% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for Bollore and Norfolk Southern, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Bollore	0	0	0	0	0.00
Norfolk Southern	0	14	7	0	2.33

Norfolk Southern has a consensus target price of $285.15, suggesting a potential upside of 3.85%. Given Norfolk Southern’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Norfolk Southern is more favorable than Bollore.

Summary

Norfolk Southern beats Bollore on 12 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Bollore

Bolloré SE engages in the transportation and logistics, communications, and industry businesses in France, rest of Europe, the Americas, Asia, Oceania, and Africa. It operates through Bolloré Logistics, Bolloré Energy, Communications, and Industry segments. The company offers freight forwarding, railroad, and port services; and distributes oil products. It also provides advertising, and communication consulting services; owns and publishes Cnews, a French daily newspaper; provides ticketing and venue services; acts as a pay-TV operator; and operates Mac-Mahon cinema theaters. In addition, it develops batteries based on lithium metal polymer technology for use in electric buses and energy storage solutions, as well as in stationary applications; and polypropylene films for capacitors and electrical components. Further, the company integrates identification, tracking, and mobility solutions for retail, transport, and logistics; provides equipment for pedestrian and vehicle access control; and electric shuttles solutions. The company was founded in 1822 and is based in Puteaux, France. Bolloré SE is a subsidiary of Financière de l'Odet SE.

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.