Q4 EPS Estimate for Norfolk Southern Lowered by Analyst

Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) – Analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q4 2024 earnings per share estimates for Norfolk Southern in a research note issued to investors on Monday, November 11th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the railroad operator will post earnings of $2.94 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $3.03. The consensus estimate for Norfolk Southern’s current full-year earnings is $11.82 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Norfolk Southern’s Q1 2025 earnings at $2.85 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $3.38 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $3.40 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $3.31 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $12.92 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $3.44 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $3.76 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $3.69 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $14.19 EPS.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The railroad operator reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.11 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.08 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 19.85% and a return on equity of 20.25%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.65 earnings per share.

NSC has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $272.00 to $282.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Susquehanna upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $280.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $291.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $283.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $274.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $275.68.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NSC opened at $269.26 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $252.33 and a 200-day moving average price of $238.24. The company has a market cap of $60.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern has a 12 month low of $201.44 and a 12 month high of $277.60.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 20.5% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 14,428 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,556,000 after purchasing an additional 2,453 shares during the period. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC grew its position in Norfolk Southern by 25,181.8% during the third quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 893,459 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $222,025,000 after buying an additional 889,925 shares during the period. Seven Eight Capital LP purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,676,000. Dakota Wealth Management raised its position in Norfolk Southern by 2.1% in the third quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 7,206 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,791,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 2nd quarter worth $13,627,000. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In other news, CEO Alan H. Shaw sold 51,325 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.98, for a total transaction of $13,138,173.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 35,045 shares in the company, valued at $8,970,819.10. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Alan H. Shaw sold 51,325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.98, for a total transaction of $13,138,173.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 35,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,970,819.10. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $255.00 per share, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,550,000. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Friday, November 1st will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.01%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 1st. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.70%.

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.