Zacks Research Issues Pessimistic Estimate for NSC Earnings

Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q3 2025 EPS estimates for shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, February 18th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the railroad operator will post earnings of $3.39 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $3.44. The consensus estimate for Norfolk Southern’s current full-year earnings is $13.02 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Norfolk Southern’s Q4 2025 earnings at $3.31 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $12.82 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $3.62 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $15.49 EPS.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.04%.

NSC has been the topic of several other reports. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Loop Capital downgraded shares of Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $289.00 to $256.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $285.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Stephens boosted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $276.11.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 0.6 %

NSC stock opened at $247.84 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $245.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $250.66. The company has a market capitalization of $56.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.82. Norfolk Southern has a 12 month low of $206.71 and a 12 month high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.71%.

Insider Activity at Norfolk Southern

In related news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was bought at an average price of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at $646,271.82. This represents a 32.29 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 350 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $249.37 per share, with a total value of $87,279.50. Following the purchase, the director now owns 10,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,580,979.50. This trade represents a 3.50 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth about $70,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 19,630 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $4,607,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. Forum Financial Management LP lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 5,468 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,283,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 34.7% during the fourth quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 108,128 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $25,378,000 after purchasing an additional 27,831 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% 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.