Zacks Research Brokers Lower Earnings Estimates for NSC

Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research lowered their Q2 2026 earnings per share estimates for Norfolk Southern in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, November 13th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the railroad operator will post earnings of $3.44 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate 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.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on NSC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $288.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $321.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 24th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $316.00 to $307.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fifteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $299.70.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NSC stock traded up $1.15 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $284.68. 87,738 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,553,369. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $286.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $268.73. The company has a market cap of $63.88 billion, a P/E 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 has a 12 month low of $201.63 and a 12 month high of $302.24.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by ($0.01). Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 18.93% and a net margin of 24.22%.The company had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.25 earnings per share. Norfolk Southern’s quarterly revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NSC. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,706 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $400,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 9,543 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,260,000 after acquiring an additional 373 shares during the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 1st quarter worth about $2,636,000. Sigma Planning Corp grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 2,557 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $606,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealthfront Advisers LLC lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 10.4% in the first quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 10,144 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,403,000 after purchasing an additional 952 shares during 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 purchased 1,650 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $282.97 per share, for a total transaction of $466,900.50. Following the purchase, the director owned 12,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,395,640. This represents a 15.94% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Richard H. Anderson purchased 2,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 27th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $281.86 per share, for a total transaction of $732,836.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 7,000 shares in the company, valued at $1,973,020. This represents a 59.09% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 7th will be paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 7th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. 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.