Zacks Research Issues Pessimistic Forecast for NSC Earnings

Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research decreased their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Norfolk Southern in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, December 23rd. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the railroad operator will post earnings per share of $2.89 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $2.90. Zacks Research has a “Strong Sell” rating on the stock. 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 2026 earnings at $3.38 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $3.31 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $3.75 EPS and Q3 2027 earnings at $3.35 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on NSC. Robert W. Baird set a $293.00 target price on Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, December 5th. 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 report on Friday, October 24th. Susquehanna boosted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $325.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $299.40.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NSC opened at $291.73 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $65.46 billion, a PE ratio of 22.25, a P/E/G ratio of 5.38 and a beta of 1.32. Norfolk Southern has a fifty-two week low of $201.63 and a fifty-two week high of $302.24. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $287.90 and a 200 day simple moving average of $279.75. 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 issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.30 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.11 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.25 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .0% on a year-over-year basis.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. ORG Partners LLC raised 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 worth $25,000 after buying an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 207.1% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 86 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Norfolk Southern

In related news, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 1,650 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $282.97 per share, with a total value of $466,900.50. Following the purchase, the director owned 12,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,395,640. The trade was a 15.94% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Anil Bhatt sold 900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.60, for a total transaction of $253,440.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,413 shares in the company, valued at $397,900.80. This represents a 38.91% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have bought 4,454 shares of company stock worth $1,259,874. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

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

About Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Corporation is a major U.S. freight railroad company that provides rail transportation and related logistics services. As a Class I carrier, the company operates an extensive network across the eastern United States and offers scheduled freight service for a broad range of industries. Its core operations include long-haul and regional rail freight transportation, intermodal services that move containers and trailers between rail and other modes, and terminal and switching services that support efficient rail shipments for industrial and port customers.

The company transports a variety of commodities, serving sectors such as coal and energy, automotive and automotive parts, chemicals, agriculture, metals and construction materials, and consumer goods.