Q3 EPS Estimate for Norfolk Southern Increased by Analyst

Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research upped their Q3 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, January 20th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the railroad operator will post earnings of $3.44 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $3.40. The consensus estimate for Norfolk Southern’s current full-year earnings is $11.78 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Norfolk Southern’s Q1 2026 earnings at $3.45 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $3.78 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $3.71 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $14.26 EPS.

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

NSC has been the subject of several other research reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $289.00 to $309.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Benchmark raised their target price on Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $275.68.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Norfolk Southern stock opened at $251.74 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $250.25 and its 200 day moving average is $247.30. Norfolk Southern has a one year low of $206.71 and a one year high of $277.60. The firm has a market cap of $56.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.65.

Institutional Trading of Norfolk Southern

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 3.6% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 255,200 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $63,417,000 after acquiring an additional 8,844 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 20.5% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 14,428 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,556,000 after purchasing an additional 2,453 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 533,459 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $132,565,000 after purchasing an additional 3,621 shares during the period. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC increased its position in shares of 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. Finally, Grandview Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at about $918,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Sameh Fahmy acquired 350 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $249.37 per share, for a total transaction of $87,279.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 10,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,580,979.50. This represents a 3.50 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

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.