(NSC) Norfolk Southern - Ratings and Ratios
Rail, Freight, Intermodal, Logistics
Dividends
| Dividend Yield | 1.84% |
| Yield on Cost 5y | 2.53% |
| Yield CAGR 5y | 9.47% |
| Payout Consistency | 96.1% |
| Payout Ratio | 41.7% |
| Risk via 10d forecast | |
|---|---|
| Volatility | 20.3% |
| Value at Risk 5%th | 31.1% |
| Relative Tail Risk | -6.83% |
| Reward TTM | |
|---|---|
| Sharpe Ratio | 0.48 |
| Alpha | 0.47 |
| CAGR/Max DD | 0.28 |
| Character TTM | |
|---|---|
| Hurst Exponent | 0.388 |
| Beta | 0.739 |
| Beta Downside | 0.807 |
| Drawdowns 3y | |
|---|---|
| Max DD | 27.30% |
| Mean DD | 9.98% |
| Median DD | 8.82% |
Description: NSC Norfolk Southern December 03, 2025
Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) is a U.S.-based rail carrier that moves a broad mix of commodities-including agricultural grains, chemicals, metals, construction materials, automotive parts, and coal-across its network, with additional service for overseas freight via Atlantic and Gulf Coast ports and an expanding intermodal platform. The company, incorporated in 1980 and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, operates primarily in the Rail Transportation sub-industry of the GICS classification.
Key operational metrics (FY 2024) show a revenue of roughly $12.5 billion and an operating ratio near 62 %, reflecting efficient cost management relative to peers. Intermodal volumes grew about 5 % year-over-year, driven by sustained e-commerce demand, while diesel fuel exposure remains a material cost risk. Macro-level drivers for the sector include U.S. GDP growth, construction activity, and seasonal agricultural shipping cycles, all of which directly affect NSC’s load-to-ship ratios.
For a deeper, data-focused look at NSC’s valuation and risk profile, the ValueRay platform provides a concise, analytics-driven snapshot worth reviewing.
Piotroski VR‑10 (Strict, 0-10) 6.0
| Net Income (2.96b TTM) > 0 and > 6% of Revenue (6% = 733.8m TTM) |
| FCFTA 0.05 (>2.0%) and ΔFCFTA 5.70pp (YES ≥ +1.0pp, WARN ≥ +0.5pp) |
| NWC/Revenue -3.99% (prev -8.11%; Δ 4.12pp) (YES ≤20% & Δ≤-1pp; WARN ≤25% & Δ≤0 oder ≤40% & Δ≤-3pp) |
| CFO/TA 0.10 (>3.0%) and CFO 4.25b > Net Income 2.96b (YES >=105%, WARN >=100%) |
| Net Debt (15.66b) to EBITDA (6.01b) ratio: 2.61 <= 3.0 (WARN <= 3.5) |
| Current Ratio 0.86 (target 1.5–3.0; WARN 1.2–<1.5 or >3.0–5.0; CFO/TA gate active) |
| Outstanding Shares last Quarter (224.7m) change vs 12m ago -0.79% (target <= -2.0% for YES) |
| Gross Margin 34.05% (prev 28.48%; Δ 5.57pp) >=18% & Δ>=+0.5pp (WARN >=15% & Δ>=0) |
| Asset Turnover 27.85% (prev 28.14%; Δ -0.29pp) >=50% & Δ>=+2pp (WARN >=35% & Δ>=0) |
| Interest Coverage Ratio 5.81 (EBITDA TTM 6.01b / Interest Expense TTM 796.0m) >= 6 (WARN >= 3) |
Altman Z'' 2.04
| (A) -0.01 = (Total Current Assets 3.04b - Total Current Liabilities 3.52b) / Total Assets 44.58b |
| (B) 0.29 = Retained Earnings (Balance) 12.89b / Total Assets 44.58b |
| (C) 0.11 = EBIT TTM 4.62b / Avg Total Assets 43.92b |
| (D) 0.44 = Book Value of Equity 12.86b / Total Liabilities 29.44b |
| Total Rating: 2.04 = (6.56 * A) + (3.26 * B) + (6.72 * C) + (1.05 * D) |
ValueRay F-Score (Strict, 0-100) 63.76
| 1. Piotroski 6.0pt |
| 2. FCF Yield 2.60% |
| 3. FCF Margin 17.16% |
| 4. Debt/Equity 1.13 |
| 5. Debt/Ebitda 2.61 |
| 6. ROIC - WACC (= 4.05)% |
| 7. RoE 20.17% |
| 8. Rev. Trend -3.17% |
| 9. EPS Trend -1.61% |
What is the price of NSC shares?
Over the past week, the price has changed by +1.09%, over one month by +2.12%, over three months by +6.83% and over the past year by +16.52%.
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 | 311.7 | 6.4% |
| Analysts Target Price | 311.7 | 6.4% |
| ValueRay Target Price | 309.6 | 5.7% |
NSC Fundamental Data Overview December 03, 2025
P/E Trailing = 22.1244
P/E Forward = 22.2717
P/S = 5.3176
P/B = 4.3287
P/EG = 3.0532
Beta = 1.322
Revenue TTM = 12.23b USD
EBIT TTM = 4.62b USD
EBITDA TTM = 6.01b USD
Long Term Debt = 16.48b USD (from longTermDebt, last quarter)
Short Term Debt = 607.0m USD (from shortTermDebt, last quarter)
Debt = 17.08b USD (from shortLongTermDebtTotal, last quarter)
Net Debt = 15.66b USD (from netDebt column, last quarter)
Enterprise Value = 80.70b USD (65.03b + Debt 17.08b - CCE 1.42b)
Interest Coverage Ratio = 5.81 (Ebit TTM 4.62b / Interest Expense TTM 796.0m)
FCF Yield = 2.60% (FCF TTM 2.10b / Enterprise Value 80.70b)
FCF Margin = 17.16% (FCF TTM 2.10b / Revenue TTM 12.23b)
Net Margin = 24.22% (Net Income TTM 2.96b / Revenue TTM 12.23b)
Gross Margin = 34.05% ((Revenue TTM 12.23b - Cost of Revenue TTM 8.07b) / Revenue TTM)
Gross Margin QoQ = 33.16% (prev 35.50%)
Tobins Q-Ratio = 1.81 (Enterprise Value 80.70b / Total Assets 44.58b)
Interest Expense / Debt = 1.15% (Interest Expense 197.0m / Debt 17.08b)
Taxrate = 23.05% (213.0m / 924.0m)
NOPAT = 3.56b (EBIT 4.62b * (1 - 23.05%))
Current Ratio = 0.86 (Total Current Assets 3.04b / Total Current Liabilities 3.52b)
Debt / Equity = 1.13 (Debt 17.08b / totalStockholderEquity, last quarter 15.14b)
Debt / EBITDA = 2.61 (Net Debt 15.66b / EBITDA 6.01b)
Debt / FCF = 7.46 (Net Debt 15.66b / FCF TTM 2.10b)
Total Stockholder Equity = 14.69b (last 4 quarters mean from totalStockholderEquity)
RoA = 6.64% (Net Income 2.96b / Total Assets 44.58b)
RoE = 20.17% (Net Income TTM 2.96b / Total Stockholder Equity 14.69b)
RoCE = 14.84% (EBIT 4.62b / Capital Employed (Equity 14.69b + L.T.Debt 16.48b))
RoIC = 11.15% (NOPAT 3.56b / Invested Capital 31.90b)
WACC = 7.11% (E(65.03b)/V(82.12b) * Re(8.74%) + D(17.08b)/V(82.12b) * Rd(1.15%) * (1-Tc(0.23)))
Discount Rate = 8.74% (= CAPM, Blume Beta Adj.)
Shares Correlation 3-Years: -33.33 | Cagr: -0.35%
[DCF Debug] Terminal Value 67.37% ; FCFE base≈2.10b ; Y1≈1.38b ; Y5≈630.2m
Fair Price DCF = 49.21 (DCF Value 11.04b / Shares Outstanding 224.4m; 5y FCF grow -40.0% → 3.0% )
EPS Correlation: -1.61 | EPS CAGR: 1.51% | SUE: 0.32 | # QB: 0
Revenue Correlation: -3.17 | Revenue CAGR: 2.27% | SUE: -0.22 | # QB: 0
EPS next Quarter (2026-03-31): EPS=2.93 | Chg30d=-0.143 | Revisions Net=-6 | Analysts=11
EPS next Year (2026-12-31): EPS=13.17 | Chg30d=-0.242 | Revisions Net=-22 | Growth EPS=+8.3% | Growth Revenue=+3.4%
Additional Sources for NSC Stock
Tweets: X | Stocktwits
Fund Manager Positions: Dataroma | Stockcircle