Research Analysts Set Expectations for NSC FY2025 Earnings

Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) – Zacks Research dropped their FY2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Norfolk Southern in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, November 13th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the railroad operator will post earnings per share of $12.10 for the year, down from their previous estimate of $12.53. The consensus estimate for Norfolk Southern’s current full-year earnings is $13.00 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Norfolk Southern’s Q4 2025 earnings at $2.82 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $2.90 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $3.34 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $3.78 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $14.21 EPS.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.30 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.31 by ($0.01). Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 18.93% and a net margin of 24.22%.The business had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.25 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on NSC. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $347.00 to $333.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Norfolk Southern from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 25th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $289.00 to $298.00 in a report on Thursday, September 25th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $321.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $354.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fifteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $301.10.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NSC opened at $284.04 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $63.73 billion, a PE ratio of 21.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.33. Norfolk Southern has a one year low of $201.63 and a one year high of $302.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $286.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $269.81.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of NSC. ORG Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 75.0% in the third quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 84 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 207.1% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 86 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the period. MMA Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. BNP Paribas acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in Norfolk Southern by 68.9% during the 3rd quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 103 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Richard H. Anderson bought 2,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 27th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $281.86 per share, for a total transaction of $732,836.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 7,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,973,020. This represents a 59.09% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 1,650 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $282.97 per share, with a total value of $466,900.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 12,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,395,640. This trade represents a 15.94% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 7th will be paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 7th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.19%.

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.