Norfolk Southern Corporation (NSC)

Over the past six months, Norfolk Southern's stock has been influenced by several events. In Q1 2025, the company met revenue expectations, and its stock traded up following the earnings report. In Q2 2025, the company missed revenue expectations despite net income and EPS growth. Union Pacific announced plans to acquire Norfolk Southern in an $85 billion deal. Analyst firms updated their ratings and price targets for NSC. As of October 3, 2025, NSC's closing share price was $300.15.

Demand for Norfolk Southern's services exhibits seasonality, influenced by factors across its commodity segments. The utility business experienced volume gains due to strong electricity demand, which can be seasonal. The automotive sector is expected to remain strong in the near term, and the chemicals market showed strength. Coal traffic is influenced by export coal prices and demand from power generation facilities. Severe winter weather can disrupt operations and impact service metrics.

Norfolk Southern Corporation is a transportation company focused on rail transport of various goods across the United States, operating in the Industrials sector, specifically the Railroads industry. The company provides freight transportation for commodities like agriculture, forest and consumer products, chemicals, metals and construction materials, automotive, and coal. It also manages overseas freight transport and operates an intermodal network.

Norfolk Southern operates a railway network primarily in the Eastern United States, covering 22 states and the District of Columbia, with lines extending into Ontario, Canada. The network spans approximately 19,200 to 21,300 route miles, with major hubs in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Chicago, and Atlanta. The company also has trackage rights to operate trains on other railroads' tracks, extending its reach to locations like Dallas, Texas, Waterville, Maine, and Miami, Florida.

In the past year, Norfolk Southern has received positive recognition, including being named to FORTUNE Magazine's "World's Most Admired Companies" list and receiving leadership awards from Toyota. The company emphasizes its commitment to safety, community service, and innovation. Operationally, the company faced challenges in Q1 2025 due to severe winter weather, but improved safety metrics helped mitigate service disruptions.

Norfolk Southern Corp. is predominantly owned by institutional shareholders, who hold approximately 78.52% of the company's stock, while retail investors own about 19.90%, and Norfolk Southern insiders hold approximately 1.58%. The largest individual shareholder is Vanguard Group Inc., owning 9.15% of the company. Other major institutional owners include BlackRock, Inc., Price T Rowe Associates Inc /md/, Dodge & Cox, State Street Corp, Jpmorgan Chase & Co, and Geode Capital Management LLC.