Zacks Research Brokers Lower Earnings Estimates for NSC

Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) – Research analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q2 2025 earnings estimates for shares of Norfolk Southern in a report issued on Wednesday, May 14th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the railroad operator will post earnings per share of $3.22 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $3.26. 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 Q4 2025 earnings at $3.29 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $12.59 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $3.56 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $14.86 EPS.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.72 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.01 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. Norfolk Southern’s revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.49 EPS.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on NSC. Loop Capital cut Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $289.00 to $256.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $285.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $292.00 to $272.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $260.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $266.10.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock opened at $244.16 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. The business has a 50-day moving average of $225.93 and a 200 day moving average of $242.58. Norfolk Southern has a 12 month low of $201.63 and a 12 month high of $277.60.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Norfolk Southern by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,321,359 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $4,813,114,000 after purchasing an additional 232,195 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 31.5% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 11,319,010 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,680,910,000 after buying an additional 2,710,930 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,694,573 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,098,472,000 after buying an additional 113,648 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners increased its position in Norfolk Southern by 3.4% in the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 4,159,070 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $983,161,000 after acquiring an additional 138,678 shares during the period. Finally, EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. raised its stake in Norfolk Southern by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. now owns 3,968,582 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $931,426,000 after acquiring an additional 75,865 shares during the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 2nd will be paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 2nd. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.89%.

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.