Q4 EPS Forecast for Norfolk Southern Increased by Analyst

Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) – Analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q4 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Norfolk Southern in a note issued to investors on Thursday, November 20th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the railroad operator will post earnings of $3.37 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $3.34. 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 Q1 2027 earnings at $3.38 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $3.77 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $14.24 EPS.

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

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on NSC. BMO Capital Markets upped 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. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $347.00 to $333.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $354.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. UBS Group cut their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $321.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $301.10.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NYSE NSC opened at $283.37 on Monday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $287.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $272.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.78. Norfolk Southern has a 1 year low of $201.63 and a 1 year high of $302.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $63.58 billion, a PE ratio of 21.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.33.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 1,650 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were bought at an average price of $282.97 per share, with a total value of $466,900.50. Following the acquisition, the director owned 12,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,395,640. This trade represents a 15.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Richard H. Anderson purchased 2,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 27th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $281.86 per share, with a total value of $732,836.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 7,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,973,020. The trade was a 59.09% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.06% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Pentwater Capital Management LP bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $826,128,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 31.5% in 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 purchasing an additional 2,710,930 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the second quarter worth $613,255,000. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 2nd quarter valued at $321,393,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in Norfolk Southern by 545.2% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,306,203 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $392,396,000 after buying an additional 1,103,748 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

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.