Is VAR or NSC a better dividend investment in 2026?

VAR currently yields 4.00% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. NSC yields 1.91% with 5% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: VAR offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between VAR and NSC?

VAR has a forward dividend yield of 4.00% ($2.00/share annually). NSC yields 1.91% ($5.40/share annually). The yield gap is 2.09 percentage points.

Home › Compare › VAR vs NSC

VAR vs NSC: Dividend Comparison 2026

VAR yields 4.00% · NSC yields 1.91%● Live data

vsPost on X →

After 10 years · $10,000 invested · DRIP enabled

🏆 NSC wins by $38.7K in total portfolio value· pulled ahead in Year 4

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

VAR

● Live price

4.00%

Share price

$50.00

Annual div

$2.00

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$28.0K

Annual income

$899.19

Full VAR calculator →

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 →

Portfolio growth — VAR vs NSC

📍 NSC pulled ahead of the other in Year 4

Annual dividend income

🛡️

Recession Test — Did They Cut Dividends?

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

Crisis Period	VAR	NSC
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, VAR + NSC cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

VAR pays

NSC pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

VAR

Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)

$340.00/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$764.31/yr

NSC

Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)

$162.48/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$15,084.57/yr

At 15% tax rate, NSC beats the other by $14,320.26/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

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

VAR: 50%NSC: 50%

100% NSC50/50100% VAR

Portfolio after 10yr

$47.4K

Annual income

$9,322.88/yr

Blended yield

19.67%

📊

Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on NSC right now

VAR

Analyst Ratings

Buy

Hold

Sell

Consensus: Hold

NSC

Analyst Ratings

Buy

Hold

Sell

Consensus: Hold

Price Target

$315.33

+11.6% upside vs current

Range: $288.00 — $342.00

Altman Z

2.3

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)

VAR buys

NSC buys

No recent congressional trades found for VAR or NSC in the last 90 days.

STOCK Act mandates disclosure within 45 days of transaction. Data via FMP.Full tracker →

MetricVARNSC

Forward yield	4.00% ✓	1.91%
Annual dividend / share	$2.00	$5.40 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	5% ✓	0%
5-year div CAGR	5%	43.6% ✓
Portfolio after 10y	$28.0K	$66.7K ✓
Annual income after 10y	$899.19	$17,746.55 ✓
Total dividends collected	$6.4K	$42.2K ✓
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	Stock
Analyst consensus	Hold	Hold

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

Year	VAR Portfolio	VAR Income/yr	NSC Portfolio	NSC Income/yr	Gap
1	$11,120	$420.00	$10,974	$274.49	+$146.00 → VAR
2	$12,357	$458.31	$12,147	$404.28	+$210.00 → VAR
3	$13,721	$499.76	$13,598	$600.54	+$123.00 → VAR
4← crossover	$15,227	$544.58	$15,452	$902.22	$225.00 → NSC
5	$16,885	$593.02	$17,909	$1,375.92	$1.0K → NSC
6	$18,713	$645.34	$21,303	$2,140.25	$2.6K → NSC
7	$20,724	$701.81	$26,211	$3,416.66	$5.5K → NSC
8	$22,938	$762.73	$33,688	$5,641.72	$10.8K → NSC
9	$25,372	$828.41	$45,777	$9,731.21	$20.4K → NSC
10	$28,047	$899.19	$66,728	$17,746.55	$38.7K → NSC

VAR vs NSC: Complete Analysis 2026

VAR — Stock

VAR is a dividend-paying stock. Use this calculator to estimate your future dividend income, DRIP compounding returns, and passive income potential from investing in VAR shares.

Full VAR Calculator →

NSC — Stock

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.

Full NSC 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.