JBLU vs NSC Stock Comparison

NSC currently leads JBLU in this stock comparison, with AIQ scores of 57 vs 35. The clearest difference is momentum, while JBLU has the stronger value profile.

Market data as of Oct 21, 2026 market close· AIQ score gap 22 points
JBLU
Industrials
vs
NSC
Industrials
JBLU
JetBlue Airways Corporation
Price
$2.93
Day move
+0.69%
AIQ Score
35/100
Best edge
Value
Sector
Industrials
NSC
Norfolk Southern Corporation
Leads
Price
$328
Day move
+0.77%
AIQ Score
57/100
Best edge
Momentum
Sector
Industrials

What is the main difference between JBLU and NSC?

NSC leads the current stock comparison as Norfolk Southern Corporation, with the clearest separation coming from momentum and the broader AIQ evidence mix.

AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison

JetBlue Airways Corporation vs Norfolk Southern Corporation

Data as of Oct 21, 2026· market close· Industrials· Coverage 66/66 fields· High confidence
AIQ VerdictCompetitiveAIQ Comparison Conviction 8/10

NSC leads

NSC leads by 22 AIQ points, primarily on Momentum and Risk Resilience, and the lead has widened from 7 points over 30 sessions. Wall Street currently favors JBLU on target upside.

Competitive: 4 of 6 evidence groups support NSC, its lead is widening, and its current signal state is conflicted.

Evidence agreement: 4 of 6Comparison trend: Strengthening
JBLU

JetBlue Airways Corporation

AIQ Score
35/100
AIQ Edge Score
2/10
NSC

Norfolk Southern Corporation

Leads
AIQ Score
57/100
AIQ Edge Score
7/10

The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors NSC over JBLU, 57 versus 35 as of Oct 21, 2026. NSC's advantage is driven primarily by stronger momentum and risk resilience, while JBLU holds the stronger value profile. NSC also shows the stronger technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average, though analyst target upside currently favors JBLU. 4 of 6 covered evidence groups favor NSC today, and the comparison is rated Competitive on stability: the leader is throwing conflicting signals. NSC lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 7 to 22 points over 30 sessions.

Compare JetBlue Airways Corporation and Norfolk Southern Corporation across the Algovestiq AIQ Score, valuation, quality, momentum, risk, technicals and analyst expectations.

Currently unavailable

Performance over time

Total return with distributions reinvested, from daily closes.

JBLU
-80.3%
NSC
+25.7%

Total return comparison

Growth of $10,000, distributions reinvested

JBLU $1,974 · NSC $12,573

Split-adjusted closes; each distribution is reinvested at the close on its ex-dividend date. Taxes and trading costs are not modeled.

Compare JBLU and NSC against another ticker

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AIQ Factor Divergence

Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.

JBLU advantage
0
NSC advantage
  • Momentum25 vs 71
    NSC +46
  • Risk Resilience19 vs 63
    NSC +44
  • Quality21 vs 56
    NSC +35
  • Value65 vs 42
    JBLU +23

4 of 6 evidence groups favor NSC. NSC’s edge is concentrated in momentum and risk resilience; JBLU keeps a meaningful value edge.

What changed since the last close

Latest scored session 2026-10-20, compared against the prior scored session 2026-10-19.

JBLU0 AIQ

No factor moved materially.

No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 8 active signals are unchanged.

NSC+1 AIQ

Largest factor move: Momentum +3

New signals

  • RSI Overbought — bearish, momentum, short horizon

NSC's lead widened by 1 AIQ point in the latest session.

Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — JBLU and NSC both carry a full feed there.

The central trade-off

NSC (Norfolk Southern Corporation): the stronger current systematic profile, led by momentum and risk resilience.

JBLU (JetBlue Airways Corporation): the counter-case, on value, valuation, analyst expectations — but at materially higher volatility, 54.1% against 13%.

The AIQ Score and Wall Street therefore point in different directions on this pair.

Which one fits your objective

The same two names rank differently depending on what you are optimizing for. All six reads are shown at once — none of them is hidden behind a toggle.

Balanced

NSC

NSC on the overall AIQ Score, which weights Quality and Value most heavily.

Growth

NSC

NSC on combined revenue and EPS growth.

Value

JBLU

JBLU on the peer-relative Value factor, by 23 points.

Momentum

NSC

NSC on the Momentum factor, by 46 points.

Lower downside

NSC

NSC on Risk Resilience, by 44 points.

Analyst upside

JBLU

JBLU on implied upside to the consensus price target.

AIQ vs Wall Street

The model and the Street disagree here: AIQ favors NSC, analyst targets favor JBLU. That disagreement is the most useful thing on this page.

MeasureJBLUNSCNote
Implied upside to target+80.2%+6.7%JBLU has more room
Target dispersion+85.2%+25.7%Lower is tighter analyst agreement
ConsensusSellHoldContext, not a primary driver
Analysts covering67Higher coverage generally improves confidence

The two are measuring different things. The AIQ Score reads current fundamentals, valuation, trend and risk; analyst targets price forward expectations. A divergence of this kind is either a contrarian opportunity or a sign the model is missing something already priced in — it is worth resolving before acting on either.

Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions. Dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.

AIQ Agreement Matrix

4 of 6 covered evidence groups favor NSC. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.

Evidence groupFavorsReading
AIQ ScoreNSC35 vs 57
FundamentalsNSCon balancerevenue growth 20.4% vs 15.6%; EPS growth 23% vs 34.2%; TTM ROE -45.5% vs 16.8%; gross margin 46.8% vs 53.7%; operating margin -5.9% vs 31.6% — NSC takes 4 of 5 decided legs, not all of them
ValuationJBLUValue 65 vs 42
TechnicalsNSCPrice vs 50-day -33.4% vs 0.4%; vs 200-day -41.9% vs 4%
Risk ResilienceNSCRisk Resilience 19 vs 63
Analyst expectationsJBLUTarget upside 80.2% vs 6.7%

✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of JBLU and NSC and are excluded from the count.

AIQ Decision Stability

Competitive

The two are close enough that your objective, not the score, should decide.

  • The AIQ gap is wide at 22 points. (supports the conclusion holding)
  • The leader's advantage has been widening. (supports the conclusion holding)
  • The leader is throwing conflicting signals. (argues the conclusion is provisional)

Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on NSC.

How the comparison changed

120 daily snapshots · Jun 21 – Oct 20

NSC lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 7 to 22 points over 30 sessions.

Jun 21JBLU leads above the line · NSC leads belowOct 20
Today
NSC +22
35 vs 57
7 sessions ago
NSC +22
35 vs 57
30 sessions ago
NSC +7
39 vs 46
90 sessions ago
NSC +16
38 vs 54

The lead has not changed hands in this window.

AIQ Signal Divergence

Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.

JBLUConflicted

1 bullish / 5 bearish / 2 neutral, conflicted

Only JBLU

  • Bollinger Band Squeeze — neutral, volatility, short horizon
  • Death Cross Active — bearish, trend, long horizon (13.85%)
  • ATR Expansion - Breakout Mode — neutral, volatility, short horizon (7.00%)
  • Keltner Channel Breakdown — bearish, volatility, short horizon
  • RSI Oversold - Potential Bounce — bullish, momentum, short horizon
  • 52-Week Low Proximity — bearish, risk, long horizon (0.0%)
  • Downtrend Structure Active — bearish, trend, long horizon
  • MACD Bearish Crossover — bearish, momentum, short horizon
NSCConflicted

3 bullish / 1 bearish, conflicted

Only NSC

  • Golden Cross Active — bullish, trend, long horizon (4.35%)
  • RSI Overbought — bearish, momentum, short horizon
  • EMA Ribbon Expansion Bullish — bullish, trend, medium horizon
  • MACD Bullish Crossover — bullish, momentum, short horizon

NSC leads the comparison while carrying a conflicted signal state, which is one reason the stability rating is not higher.

Price vs model alignment

Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.

JBLUNo material change

Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price +0.69%, AIQ 0 points).

NSCConfirmed strength

Price and the AIQ Score both moved up over the latest session (price +0.77%, AIQ +1 points).

What would flip this result

A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.

  1. 1JBLU closes the Momentum gap — currently 46 points behind, the largest single contributor to NSC's edge.
  2. 2JBLU's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it.
  3. 3NSC's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 3 bullish and 1 bearish rules at once.
  4. 4A regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.

The full evidence

Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.

Fundamentals

NSC leads on balance
MetricJBLUNSC
Revenue growth (YoY)20.4%15.6%
EPS growth (YoY)23%34.2%
Gross margin46.8%53.7%
Operating margin-5.9%31.6%
Return on equity (TTM)-45.5%16.8%
Debt to equity5.911.02

Performance

NSC leads 6 of 6 windows
MetricJBLUNSC
1 week (5 sessions)-13.1%1.4%
1 month (20 sessions)-33.3%3.7%
3 months (63 sessions)-43.6%-1.6%
6 months (126 sessions)-46.7%7.7%
Year to date-33.6%12.8%
1 year (252 sessions)-39%12.9%

Technicals

NSC has the stronger structure
MetricJBLUNSC
RSI (14)8.875.8
ADX (14)46.126.3
Price vs 50-day-33.4%0.4%
Price vs 200-day-41.9%4%
Volatility (1M, annualized)54.1%13%

Risk

NSC is the more resilient
MetricJBLUNSC
Beta2.170.19
Sharpe ratio-0.490.48
Sortino ratio-0.90.74
Max drawdown-55%-12.5%
Current drawdown-55%-7.8%
Annualized volatility63.5%20.7%
Value at risk (95%)-6.2%-1.9%

Straight answers

Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.

Which is better, JBLU or NSC?

On the Algovestiq AIQ Score, NSC is the stronger of the two as of Oct 21, 2026, scoring 57 against JBLU's 35. The edge comes from momentum and risk resilience. JBLU is not without a case — it holds the better value profile, which matters more if that is the objective you are optimizing for. This is a systematic score, not a recommendation: it ranks the two on the same evidence, it does not know your holding period or tax position.

Is JBLU or NSC the better buy right now?

NSC carries the stronger systematic profile as of Oct 21, 2026, and the comparison is rated Competitive — 4 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. A Competitive rating means the two are close enough that your objective, not the score, should decide.

Why does the AIQ Score favor NSC over JBLU?

The composite weights Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk Resilience. NSC leads Momentum by 46 points; NSC leads Risk Resilience by 44 points; NSC leads Quality by 35 points. Where the two split, the factor with the larger weight carries the result.

Which has more analyst upside, JBLU or NSC?

Analyst price targets imply +80.2% upside for JBLU and +6.7% for NSC, so the Street currently favors JBLU. That points the opposite way to the AIQ Score, which favors NSC. The two are measuring different things: the model reads current fundamentals, valuation, trend and risk; the Street is pricing forward expectations. A divergence of this kind is either a contrarian opportunity or a sign the model is missing something the analysts have already priced — it is the single most useful row on this page to investigate. Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions, and dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.

Which is better value, JBLU or NSC?

JBLU is the better-valued of the two on the peer-relative Value factor. JBLU on the peer-relative Value factor, by 23 points. The Value factor reads valuation relative to sector peers and to the company's own fundamental quality, so it is not the same as simply having the lower multiple.

Which has stronger growth, JBLU or NSC?

NSC on combined revenue and EPS growth. Growth here is measured on reported revenue and earnings, not on forward estimates — it describes what the businesses have delivered, not what the Street expects next.

Which has stronger momentum, JBLU or NSC?

NSC on the Momentum factor, by 46 points. Momentum is one of the four weighted factors in the AIQ composite. It has documented persistence over three- to twelve-month horizons, which makes it a timing input rather than a reason to hold something indefinitely.

Which is riskier, JBLU or NSC?

NSC is the more resilient of the two, so the other name carries the higher downside risk. NSC on Risk Resilience, by 44 points. Risk Resilience is a weighted factor in the composite; position sizing usually responds to it more usefully than the buy/avoid decision does.

Is JBLU more profitable than NSC?

NSC leads on the comparable margin measures — gross margin 46.8% vs 53.7%; operating margin -5.9% vs 31.6%; ttm roe -45.5% vs 16.8%.

Is NSC's lead over JBLU getting stronger or weaker?

NSC lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 7 to 22 points over 30 sessions. This is measured from 120 daily comparison snapshots between 2026-06-21 and 2026-10-20. The lead has not changed hands in that window.

What would change the JBLU vs NSC verdict?

The result is a state, not a forecast, so it changes when the underlying evidence changes. Concretely: JBLU closes the Momentum gap — currently 46 points behind, the largest single contributor to NSC's edge; JBLU's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it; NSC's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 3 bullish and 1 bearish rules at once; a regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.

What do the current signals say about JBLU and NSC?

JBLU: 1 bullish / 5 bearish / 2 neutral, conflicted. NSC: 3 bullish / 1 bearish, conflicted. A conflicted state means bullish and bearish rules are active on the same name at once — the technical evidence is not pointing one way, and a decision taken on it carries more timing risk. The most decision-relevant rule on JBLU is Death Cross Active (bearish, long horizon). On NSC it is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon).

Compare JBLU and NSC with others

Continue your research

This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.

How this comparison is scored

The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.

The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.

How to use side-by-side comparison →

This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.