Zacks Research Forecasts Lower Earnings for Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q2 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Norfolk Southern in a research note issued on Thursday, November 13th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the railroad operator will earn $3.44 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $3.54. 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 Q3 2026 earnings at $3.52 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $13.20 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $3.39 EPS and Q3 2027 earnings at $3.39 EPS.

NSC has been the subject of several other reports. Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. UBS Group decreased 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. Benchmark restated a “hold” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Monday, October 27th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fifteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $299.70.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE NSC traded up $1.15 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $284.68. 87,738 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,553,369. Norfolk Southern has a 1 year low of $201.63 and a 1 year high of $302.24. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $286.71 and a 200 day moving average of $268.73. The stock has a market cap of $63.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.33. 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 results on Thursday, October 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.31 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.11 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 18.93% and a net margin of 24.22%.Norfolk Southern’s revenue for the quarter was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.25 EPS.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NSC. ORG Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 75.0% in the 3rd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 84 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 207.1% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 86 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the second quarter worth about $26,000. WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 423.8% during the 2nd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 110 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. 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 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. This trade represents a 15.94% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Richard H. Anderson purchased 2,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 27th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $281.86 per share, for a total transaction of $732,836.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 7,000 shares in the company, valued at $1,973,020. This trade represents a 59.09% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 7th will be issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is 41.19%.

About Norfolk Southern

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.