(NSC) Norfolk Southern - Ratings and Ratios
Rail Transport, Intermodal, Freight, Logistics, Ports
NSC EPS (Earnings per Share)
NSC Revenue
Description: NSC Norfolk Southern
Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) and its subsidiaries provide rail-transport services across the United States, moving a broad mix of raw materials, intermediate goods and finished products. Its commodity portfolio includes agricultural items (soybeans, wheat, corn, fertilizers, feed, food products, ethanol), forest and paper products (lumber, pulp, board), chemicals (sulfur, petroleum derivatives, plastics, industrial chemicals, sand, NGLs), metals and construction inputs (steel, aluminum, cement, aggregates, machinery, military-related equipment), automotive shipments (vehicles and parts), and coal. The network also handles overseas freight via Atlantic and Gulf Coast ports and operates an intermodal platform that links rail with trucking and ocean shipping.
Key operational metrics from the most recent annual report (FY 2023) show a revenue of roughly $12.5 billion and an operating ratio of 66 %, indicating that 34 % of revenue remains after covering operating expenses-a benchmark that places NSC among the more efficient Class I railroads. Traffic volumes have been buoyed by a 7 % YoY increase in intermodal volumes, driven by e-commerce growth, while grain shipments rose 4 % amid higher U.S. export demand. A material economic driver is the U.S. construction cycle; cement and aggregate shipments typically track the residential and non-residential construction spending index, which has been trending upward (+3 % YoY in Q2 2024). Conversely, coal volumes continue to decline (-12 % YoY) reflecting the broader energy transition and regulatory pressures.
For a deeper, data-rich assessment of NSC’s valuation dynamics-including forward-looking cash-flow models and scenario analysis-exploring the detailed analytics on ValueRay can provide the granular insight needed to form a disciplined investment thesis.
NSC Stock Overview
| Market Cap in USD | 66,170m |
| Sub-Industry | Rail Transportation |
| IPO / Inception | 1982-06-02 |
NSC Stock Ratings
| Growth Rating | 51.4% |
| Fundamental | 58.3% |
| Dividend Rating | 62.2% |
| Return 12m vs S&P 500 | 3.31% |
| Analyst Rating | 3.85 of 5 |
NSC Dividends
| Dividend Yield 12m | 1.86% |
| Yield on Cost 5y | 2.80% |
| Annual Growth 5y | 9.47% |
| Payout Consistency | 97.7% |
| Payout Ratio | 44.0% |
NSC Growth Ratios
| Growth Correlation 3m | 57.3% |
| Growth Correlation 12m | 52.5% |
| Growth Correlation 5y | 14.3% |
| CAGR 5y | 14.44% |
| CAGR/Max DD 3y (Calmar Ratio) | 0.53 |
| CAGR/Mean DD 3y (Pain Ratio) | 1.47 |
| Sharpe Ratio 12m | 0.31 |
| Alpha | -3.32 |
| Beta | 1.320 |
| Volatility | 21.54% |
| Current Volume | 991.3k |
| Average Volume 20d | 1118k |
| Stop Loss | 281 (-3%) |
| Signal | -0.21 |
Piotroski VR‑10 (Strict, 0-10) 6.5
| Net Income (3.35b TTM) > 0 and > 6% of Revenue (6% = 730.7m TTM) |
| FCFTA 0.05 (>2.0%) and ΔFCFTA 6.84pp (YES ≥ +1.0pp, WARN ≥ +0.5pp) |
| NWC/Revenue -6.24% (prev -11.27%; Δ 5.03pp) (YES ≤20% & Δ≤-1pp; WARN ≤25% & Δ≤0 oder ≤40% & Δ≤-3pp) |
| CFO/TA 0.10 (>3.0%) and CFO 4.20b > Net Income 3.35b (YES >=105%, WARN >=100%) |
| Net Debt (16.06b) to EBITDA (6.51b) ratio: 2.47 <= 3.0 (WARN <= 3.5) |
| Current Ratio 0.79 (target 1.5–3.0; WARN 1.2–<1.5 or >3.0–5.0; CFO/TA gate active) |
| Outstanding Shares last Quarter (225.0m) change vs 12m ago -0.62% (target <= -2.0% for YES) |
| Gross Margin 36.06% (prev 24.46%; Δ 11.59pp) >=18% & Δ>=+0.5pp (WARN >=15% & Δ>=0) |
| Asset Turnover 28.09% (prev 28.41%; Δ -0.32pp) >=50% & Δ>=+2pp (WARN >=35% & Δ>=0) |
| Interest Coverage Ratio 6.40 (EBITDA TTM 6.51b / Interest Expense TTM 802.0m) >= 6 (WARN >= 3) |
Altman Z'' 2.06
| (A) -0.02 = (Total Current Assets 2.91b - Total Current Liabilities 3.67b) / Total Assets 44.16b |
| (B) 0.28 = Retained Earnings (Balance) 12.56b / Total Assets 44.16b |
| (C) 0.12 = EBIT TTM 5.13b / Avg Total Assets 43.36b |
| (D) 0.43 = Book Value of Equity 12.53b / Total Liabilities 29.37b |
| Total Rating: 2.06 = (6.56 * A) + (3.26 * B) + (6.72 * C) + (1.05 * D) |
ValueRay F-Score (Strict, 0-100) 58.28
| 1. Piotroski 6.50pt = 1.50 |
| 2. FCF Yield 2.46% = 1.23 |
| 3. FCF Margin 16.62% = 4.16 |
| 4. Debt/Equity 1.17 = 1.85 |
| 5. Debt/Ebitda 2.47 = -0.90 |
| 6. ROIC - WACC (= 3.70)% = 4.62 |
| 7. RoE 23.35% = 1.95 |
| 8. Rev. Trend -55.84% = -4.19 |
| 9. EPS Trend -38.73% = -1.94 |
What is the price of NSC shares?
Over the past week, the price has changed by +0.49%, over one month by +4.24%, over three months by +7.93% and over the past year by +19.30%.
Is Norfolk Southern a good stock to buy?
Based on momentum, paid dividends and discounted-cash-flow analyses, the fair value of NSC is around 274.00 USD . This means that NSC is currently overvalued and has a potential downside of -5.45%.
Is NSC a buy, sell or hold?
- Strong Buy: 11
- Buy: 3
- Hold: 12
- Sell: 0
- Strong Sell: 1
What are the forecasts/targets for the NSC price?
| Issuer | Target | Up/Down from current |
|---|---|---|
| Wallstreet Target Price | 312 | 7.7% |
| Analysts Target Price | 312 | 7.7% |
| ValueRay Target Price | 306.3 | 5.7% |
Last update: 2025-10-11 03:53
NSC Fundamental Data Overview
P/E Trailing = 19.925
P/E Forward = 21.4133
P/S = 5.4335
P/B = 4.5266
P/EG = 2.581
Beta = 1.32
Revenue TTM = 12.18b USD
EBIT TTM = 5.13b USD
EBITDA TTM = 6.51b USD
Long Term Debt = 16.46b USD (from longTermDebt, last quarter)
Short Term Debt = 903.0m USD (from shortTermDebt, last quarter)
Debt = 17.37b USD (from shortLongTermDebtTotal, last quarter)
Net Debt = 16.06b USD (from netDebt column, last quarter)
Enterprise Value = 82.23b USD (66.17b + Debt 17.37b - CCE 1.30b)
Interest Coverage Ratio = 6.40 (Ebit TTM 5.13b / Interest Expense TTM 802.0m)
FCF Yield = 2.46% (FCF TTM 2.02b / Enterprise Value 82.23b)
FCF Margin = 16.62% (FCF TTM 2.02b / Revenue TTM 12.18b)
Net Margin = 27.51% (Net Income TTM 3.35b / Revenue TTM 12.18b)
Gross Margin = 36.06% ((Revenue TTM 12.18b - Cost of Revenue TTM 7.79b) / Revenue TTM)
Gross Margin QoQ = 35.50% (prev 31.34%)
Tobins Q-Ratio = 1.86 (Enterprise Value 82.23b / Total Assets 44.16b)
Interest Expense / Debt = 1.16% (Interest Expense 201.0m / Debt 17.37b)
Taxrate = 23.05% (230.0m / 998.0m)
NOPAT = 3.95b (EBIT 5.13b * (1 - 23.05%))
Current Ratio = 0.79 (Total Current Assets 2.91b / Total Current Liabilities 3.67b)
Debt / Equity = 1.17 (Debt 17.37b / totalStockholderEquity, last quarter 14.79b)
Debt / EBITDA = 2.47 (Net Debt 16.06b / EBITDA 6.51b)
Debt / FCF = 7.94 (Net Debt 16.06b / FCF TTM 2.02b)
Total Stockholder Equity = 14.35b (last 4 quarters mean from totalStockholderEquity)
RoA = 7.59% (Net Income 3.35b / Total Assets 44.16b)
RoE = 23.35% (Net Income TTM 3.35b / Total Stockholder Equity 14.35b)
RoCE = 16.66% (EBIT 5.13b / Capital Employed (Equity 14.35b + L.T.Debt 16.46b))
RoIC = 12.50% (NOPAT 3.95b / Invested Capital 31.59b)
WACC = 8.80% (E(66.17b)/V(83.54b) * Re(10.88%) + D(17.37b)/V(83.54b) * Rd(1.16%) * (1-Tc(0.23)))
Discount Rate = 10.88% (= CAPM, Blume Beta Adj.)
Shares Correlation 3-Years: -33.33 | Cagr: -0.29%
[DCF Debug] Terminal Value 58.84% ; FCFE base≈2.02b ; Y1≈1.33b ; Y5≈607.7m
Fair Price DCF = 35.90 (DCF Value 8.05b / Shares Outstanding 224.4m; 5y FCF grow -40.0% → 3.0% )
EPS Correlation: -38.73 | EPS CAGR: -4.65% | SUE: -0.04 | # QB: 0
Revenue Correlation: -55.84 | Revenue CAGR: -2.59% | SUE: -0.54 | # QB: 0
Additional Sources for NSC Stock
Tweets: X | Stocktwits
Fund Manager Positions: Dataroma | Stockcircle