Norfolk Southern Corporation (NSC)

Norfolk Southern's stock price has increased by 9.6% in the past six months and 5.47% in the last 30 days. The company reported decreasing revenue for the last three quarters but has shown positive net profit trends in the last two quarters. Key events include the announcement of preliminary first-quarter 2025 results, a quarterly dividend declaration, changes to the board of directors, participation in investor conferences, and a $600 million agreement in principle to resolve a consolidated class-action lawsuit related to the East Palestine derailment. Insider and congressional trading activity indicates more purchases than sales. Analyst ratings have been mixed.

Demand for Norfolk Southern's services exhibits seasonality, mirroring rail industry trends. August and October are strong traffic months, while September sees a dip. The company navigates seasonal headwinds and capitalizes on "spot opportunities" from unexpected fluctuations in supply and demand.

Norfolk Southern Corporation (NSC) is a major freight railroad operating in the Industrials sector. The company's core business involves the rail transportation of raw materials, intermediate products, and finished goods, including merchandise freight, intermodal transportation, and coal transportation. Norfolk Southern provides specialized freight services for a diverse range of commodities and offers services like property leases and sales, wire line or pipeline and fiber optics projects, managing private crossings, promoting businesses with signboards, and natural resource management.

Norfolk Southern operates a rail network spanning approximately 19,500 to 22,000 route miles across 22 states and the District of Columbia, primarily covering the Southeast, East, and Midwest United States. It serves every major container port in the eastern U.S. and has trackage rights extending to locations such as Dallas, Texas, Waterville, Maine, Miami, Florida, and Albany to Montreal in Canada.

Norfolk Southern's brand reputation has been negatively impacted by the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment in February 2023, leading to criticism and a $600 million agreement in principle to settle class-action litigation. The company has invested over $100 million in community assistance and safety initiatives. Despite increased scrutiny and calls for improved rail safety, Norfolk Southern was recognized as one of FORTUNE Magazine's "World's Most Admired Companies" in 2025 and reported a 38% reduction in its mainline accident rate in 2023.

Norfolk Southern Corporation's ownership is primarily institutional, holding approximately 76.14% of the shares. Insiders own about 1.57%, and retail investors account for approximately 22.28%. Major institutional owners include Vanguard Group Inc, BlackRock, Inc., Price T Rowe Associates Inc /md/, Dodge & Cox, State Street Corp, Jpmorgan Chase & Co, Geode Capital Management, Llc, Boston Partners, Fmr LLC, and Edgepoint Investment Group Inc.