KEX vs. UNP

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Kirby Corporation (KEX) and Union Pacific Corporation (UNP).

Performance

KEX vs. UNP - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Kirby Corporation (KEX) and Union Pacific Corporation (UNP). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

KEX vs. UNP - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
KEX Kirby Corporation	20.60%	4.14%	34.81%	21.96%	8.30%	14.64%	-42.11%	32.91%	0.84%	0.45%
UNP Union Pacific Corporation	5.43%	3.86%	-5.10%	21.61%	-15.93%	23.31%	17.64%	33.70%	5.26%	32.30%

Fundamentals

EPS KEX : $5.44 UNP : $12.02
PE Ratio KEX : 24.44 UNP : 20.18
PEG Ratio KEX : 0.53 UNP : 4.04
PS Ratio KEX : 2.25 UNP : 5.88
Total Revenue (TTM) KEX : $3.31B UNP : $24.51B
Gross Profit (TTM) KEX : $856.36M UNP : $14.55B
EBITDA (TTM) KEX : $694.77M UNP : $12.62B

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, KEX achieves a 20.60% return, which is significantly higher than UNP's 5.43% return. Over the past 10 years, KEX has underperformed UNP with an annualized return of 8.21%, while UNP has yielded a comparatively higher 14.40% annualized return.

KEX

• 1D: -0.97%
• 1M: 2.37%
• YTD: 20.60%
• 6M: 59.23%
• 1Y: 31.55%
• 3Y*: 24.00%
• 5Y*: 17.15%
• 10Y*: 8.21%

UNP

• 1D: 1.42%
• 1M: -8.44%
• YTD: 5.43%
• 6M: 3.78%
• 1Y: 5.12%
• 3Y*: 8.90%
• 5Y*: 4.28%
• 10Y*: 14.40%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

Return for Risk

KEX vs. UNP — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

KEX

KEX Risk / Return Rank: 66
KEX Sharpe Ratio Rank: 70
KEX Sortino Ratio Rank: 62
KEX Omega Ratio Rank: 71
KEX Calmar Ratio Rank: 63
KEX Martin Ratio Rank: 63

UNP

UNP Risk / Return Rank: 49
UNP Sharpe Ratio Rank: 51
UNP Sortino Ratio Rank: 43
UNP Omega Ratio Rank: 41
UNP Calmar Ratio Rank: 55
UNP Martin Ratio Rank: 55

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

KEX vs. UNP - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Kirby Corporation (KEX) and Union Pacific Corporation (UNP). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	KEX	UNP	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.82	0.23	+0.60
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.25	0.48	+0.77
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.22	1.06	+0.16
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.95	0.55	+0.40
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	2.27	1.19	+1.09
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

KEX vs. UNP - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current KEX Sharpe Ratio is 0.82, which is higher than the UNP Sharpe Ratio of 0.23. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of KEX and UNP, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	KEX	UNP	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.82	0.23	+0.60
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.53	0.19	+0.34
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.23	0.57	-0.34
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.20	0.42	-0.21

Correlation

The correlation between KEX and UNP is 0.37, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

KEX vs. UNP - Dividend Comparison

KEX has not paid dividends to shareholders, while UNP's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 2.26%.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
KEX Kirby Corporation	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
UNP Union Pacific Corporation	2.26%	2.35%	2.32%	2.12%	2.45%	1.70%	1.86%	2.05%	2.21%	1.85%	2.17%	2.81%

Drawdowns

KEX vs. UNP - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum KEX drawdown since its inception was -75.42%, which is greater than UNP's maximum drawdown of -67.49%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for KEX and UNP.

Drawdown Indicators

	KEX	UNP	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-75.42%	-67.49%	-7.93%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-33.83%	-12.66%	-21.17%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-38.76%	-31.83%	-6.93%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-63.34%	-38.72%	-24.62%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-2.54%	-9.12%	+6.58%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-28.76%	-17.13%	-11.63%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	14.11%	5.88%	+8.23%

Volatility

KEX vs. UNP - Volatility Comparison

Kirby Corporation (KEX) has a higher volatility of 7.94% compared to Union Pacific Corporation (UNP) at 5.68%. This indicates that KEX's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than UNP based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	KEX	UNP	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	7.94%	5.68%	+2.26%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	21.58%	14.16%	+7.42%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	38.60%	22.82%	+15.78%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	32.30%	22.30%	+10.00%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	36.01%	25.19%	+10.82%

Financials

KEX vs. UNP - Profitability Comparison

The chart below illustrates the profitability comparison between Kirby Corporation and Union Pacific Corporation over time, highlighting three key metrics: Gross Profit Margin, Operating Margin, and Net Profit Margin.

KEX - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Kirby Corporation reported a gross profit of 223.80M and revenue of 871.16M. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 25.7%.

UNP - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Union Pacific Corporation reported a gross profit of 6.09B and revenue of 6.09B. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 100.0%.

KEX - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Kirby Corporation reported an operating income of 126.22M and revenue of 871.16M, resulting in an operating margin of 14.5%.

UNP - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Union Pacific Corporation reported an operating income of 2.40B and revenue of 6.09B, resulting in an operating margin of 39.5%.

KEX - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Kirby Corporation reported a net income of 92.50M and revenue of 871.16M, resulting in a net margin of 10.6%.

UNP - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Union Pacific Corporation reported a net income of 1.85B and revenue of 6.09B, resulting in a net margin of 30.4%.