HomeCompareNSC vs ARES

NSC vs ARES: Dividend Comparison 2026

NSC yields 1.91% · ARES yields 4.37%● Live data

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After 10 years · $10,000 invested · DRIP enabled
🏆 ARES wins by $2929.57M in total portfolio value
10 years
NSC
NSC
● Live price
1.91%
Share price
$282.50
Annual div
$5.40
5Y div CAGR
43.6%
Payout ratio
50%
After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP
Portfolio value
$66.7K
Annual income
$17,746.55
Full NSC calculator →
ARES
ARES
● Live price
4.37%
Share price
$107.66
Annual div
$4.71
5Y div CAGR
100%
Payout ratio
50%
After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP
Portfolio value
$2929.64M
Annual income
$2,806,406,662.94
Full ARES calculator →

Portfolio growth — NSC vs ARES

📍 ARES pulled ahead of the other in Year 1

Annual dividend income

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Recession Test — Did They Cut Dividends?

How each stock treated shareholders during the 3 biggest crises of the last 20 years

Crisis PeriodNSCARES
2008–2009
GFC
— No data— No data
2020 Q1–Q2
COVID
— No data— No data
2022 Q4
Rate Hike
— No data— No data
Based on dividend payment history. "Increased" = dividend grew during crisis. "Maintained" = held within 3%. "Cut" = reduced by more than 3%.
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Dividend Calendar Overlap

Combined, NSC + ARES cover 0 of 12 monthsgood coverage

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
NSC pays
ARES pays
Both pay
Neither
💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

Which stock is actually better after tax? Adjust your rate to find out.

NSC
Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)
$162.48/yr
After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)
$15,084.57/yr
ARES
Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)
$371.87/yr
After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)
$2,385,445,663.50/yr
At 15% tax rate, ARES beats the other by $2,385,430,578.93/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000
⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

What's the optimal mix of NSC + ARES for your $10,000?

NSC: 50%ARES: 50%
100% ARES50/50100% NSC
Portfolio after 10yr
$1464.85M
Annual income
$1,403,212,204.75/yr
Blended yield
95.79%
📊

Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on NSC right now

NSC
Analyst Ratings
21
Buy
24
Hold
3
Sell
Consensus: Hold
Price Target
$315.33
+11.6% upside vs current
Range: $288.00 — $342.00
Altman Z
2.3
Piotroski
7/9
ARES
Analyst Ratings
1
Strong
15
Buy
5
Hold
Consensus: Buy
Price Target
$179.25
+66.5% upside vs current
Range: $148.00 — $215.00
Altman Z
1.5
Piotroski
7/9
Analyst ratings via FMP. Altman Z-Score: >3.0 safe, 1.81–3.0 grey zone, <1.81 distress. Piotroski: 7–9 strong, 0–3 weak.
🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

NSC buys
0
ARES buys
0
No recent congressional trades found for NSC or ARES in the last 90 days.
STOCK Act mandates disclosure within 45 days of transaction. Data via FMP.Full tracker →
MetricNSCARES
Forward yield1.91%4.37%
Annual dividend / share$5.40$4.71
Payout ratio50%50%
1-year div growth0%0%
5-year div CAGR43.6%100%
Portfolio after 10y$66.7K$2929.64M
Annual income after 10y$17,746.55$2,806,406,662.94
Total dividends collected$42.2K$2920.90M
Payment frequencyquarterlyquarterly
SectorStockStock
Analyst consensusHoldBuy
Analyst price target$315.33$179.25

Year-by-year: NSC vs ARES ($10,000, DRIP)

YearNSC PortfolioNSC Income/yrARES PortfolioARES Income/yrGap
1← crossover$10,974$274.49$11,575$874.98$601.00ARES
2$12,147$404.28$14,278$1,893.05$2.1KARES
3$13,598$600.54$19,643$4,364.80$6.0KARES
4$15,452$902.22$32,241$11,223.63$16.8KARES
5$17,909$1,375.92$68,932$34,434.38$51.0KARES
6$21,303$2,140.25$211,368$137,610.38$190.1KARES
7$26,211$3,416.66$1,014,866$788,702.55$988.7KARES
8$33,688$5,641.72$8,164,206$7,078,299.39$8.13MARES
9$45,777$9,731.21$115,169,668$106,433,966.79$115.12MARES
10$66,728$17,746.55$2,929,638,207$2,806,406,662.94$2929.57MARES

NSC vs ARES: Complete Analysis 2026

NSCStock

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, scrap paper, beverages, canned goods, and consumer products; chemicals consist of sulfur and related chemicals, petroleum products, chlorine and bleaching compounds, plastics, rubber, industrial chemicals, chemical wastes, and sand; 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 provides commuter rail passenger transportation services and operates an intermodal network. As of December 31, 2021, the company operated approximately 19,300 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia. Norfolk Southern Corporation was incorporated in 1980 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia.

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ARESStock

Ares Management Corporation operates as an alternative asset manager in the United States, Europe, and Asia. The company's Tradable Credit Group segment manages various types of investment funds, such as commingled and separately managed accounts for institutional investors, and publicly traded vehicles and sub-advised funds for retail investors in the tradable and non-investment grade corporate credit markets. Its Direct Lending Group segment provides financing solutions to small-to-medium sized companies. The company's Private Equity Group segment focuses on majority or shared-control investments primarily in under-capitalized companies. Its Real Estate Group segment invests in new developments and the repositioning of assets, with a focus on control or majority-control investments; and originates and invests in a range of self-originated financing opportunities for middle-market owners and operators of commercial real estate. The firm was previously known as Ares Management, L.P. Ares Management Corporation was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California with additional offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. Ares Management GP LLC is the general partner of the company.

Full ARES Calculator →
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⚠️ Educational purposes only. Not financial advice. Congressional trades sourced from SEC STOCK Act filings via FMP. Past performance does not guarantee future results.