Zacks Research Expects Weaker Earnings for Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) – Research analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q4 2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Norfolk Southern in a report released on Monday, November 11th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the railroad operator will post earnings of $2.94 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $3.03. The consensus estimate for Norfolk Southern’s current full-year earnings is $11.81 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Norfolk Southern’s Q1 2025 earnings at $2.85 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $3.38 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $3.40 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $3.31 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $12.92 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $3.44 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $3.76 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $3.69 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $14.19 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $294.00 to $302.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $272.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $283.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $289.00 to $309.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $274.16.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NSC stock opened at $271.11 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $61.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.46, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.30. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $252.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $238.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.65. Norfolk Southern has a fifty-two week low of $195.76 and a fifty-two week high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The railroad operator reported $3.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.11 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.08 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 19.85% and a return on equity of 20.25%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.65 EPS.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NSC. GSA Capital Partners LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 60.9% in the first quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 2,043 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $521,000 after purchasing an additional 773 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 221.0% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 9,004 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,295,000 after buying an additional 6,199 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,572,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 7.7% in the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 17,354 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $4,423,000 after acquiring an additional 1,242 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in Norfolk Southern by 12.1% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 214,000 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $54,508,000 after buying an additional 23,055 shares during the period. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In other news, CEO Alan H. Shaw sold 51,325 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.98, for a total transaction of $13,138,173.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 35,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,970,819.10. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Sameh Fahmy acquired 1,000 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $255.00 per share, with a total value of $255,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,550,000. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Alan H. Shaw sold 51,325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.98, for a total value of $13,138,173.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 35,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,970,819.10. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.99%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 1st. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.70%.

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.