Q2 EPS Estimates for Norfolk Southern Cut by Zacks Research

Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) – Analysts at Zacks Research lowered their Q2 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 forecasts that the railroad operator will post earnings of $3.26 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $3.38. 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 Q1 2026 earnings at $3.51 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $3.91 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $3.68 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $14.72 EPS.

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

NSC has been the topic of a number of other reports. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup increased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Loop Capital cut Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $289.00 to $256.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $276.11.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NYSE NSC opened at $248.96 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The company has a market cap of $56.37 billion, a PE ratio of 21.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.35. Norfolk Southern has a 52 week low of $206.71 and a 52 week high of $277.60. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $245.41 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $250.61.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mizuho Securities USA LLC grew its position in Norfolk Southern by 18,831.2% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 3,298,000 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $819,553,000 after acquiring an additional 3,280,579 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $547,575,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 11.9% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 8,608,080 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,020,318,000 after buying an additional 918,559 shares during the period. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC raised its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 25,181.8% during the 3rd 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 last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its position in Norfolk Southern by 48.4% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,702,344 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $671,532,000 after buying an additional 881,415 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.17%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is 46.71%.

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.