Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Estimate for NSC Earnings

Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research boosted their Q4 2026 earnings estimates for Norfolk Southern in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, November 20th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the railroad operator will post earnings of $3.37 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $3.34. Zacks Research currently has a “Strong Sell” rating on the stock. 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 Q1 2027 earnings at $3.38 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $3.77 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $14.24 EPS.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $288.00 to $303.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Susquehanna raised their price target on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Norfolk Southern from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Saturday, October 25th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $321.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $301.10.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NSC opened at $286.38 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $64.26 billion, a PE ratio of 21.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.33. Norfolk Southern has a 52-week low of $201.63 and a 52-week high of $302.24. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $287.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $271.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.25 EPS. The company’s revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 20th. Investors of record on Friday, November 7th were paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.19%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Trading of Norfolk Southern

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in NSC. Pentwater Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter worth about $826,128,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in Norfolk Southern by 31.5% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 11,319,010 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,680,910,000 after purchasing an additional 2,710,930 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern in the second quarter valued at approximately $613,255,000. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the second quarter valued at approximately $321,393,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 545.2% during the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,306,203 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $392,396,000 after buying an additional 1,103,748 shares in the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Norfolk Southern Company Profile

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.