Norfolk Southern Corporation NSC is scheduled to report first-quarter 2026 results on April 24, before market open.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for NSC’s first-quarter 2026 earnings has been revised downward 3.4% over the past 60 days to $2.57 per share. The consensus mark for earnings implies a 4.5% decline from the year-ago actuals. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company's first-quarter 2026 revenues is pegged at $2.99 billion, indicating a 0.1% fall year over year.
Norfolk Southern has an encouraging earnings surprise history. The company’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters (missed the mark in the remaining quarter), delivering an average beat of 4.78%.
Norfolk Southern Corporation Price and EPS Surprise
Norfolk Southern Corporation price-eps-surprise | Norfolk Southern Corporation Quote
Let’s see how things have shaped up for Norfolk Southern this earnings season.
Factors Likely to Have Influenced NSC’s Q1 Performance
We expect NSC’s performance in the to-be-reported quarter to have been significantly impacted by softness in freight market demand and lower volumes. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the Railway operating revenues from the intermodal segment is anticipated to have decreased 5.3% from the year-ago actuals.
Rising operating expenses, along with ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and supply-chain disruptions, are likely to have materially affected NSC’s performance in the March-end quarter.
On the contrary, shipment volumes for Norfolk Southern are likely to have been driven by e-commerce demand, thereby boosting the company’s top line. Service quality is being improved through NSC’s Precision Scheduled Railroading operating plan, ensuring efficient use of assets.
What Our Model Says About NSC
Our proven model does not predict an earnings beat for Norfolk this time. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat, which is not the case here. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.
NSC has an Earnings ESP of -2.23% and a Zacks Rank #3 at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Highlights of NSC’s Q4 Results
Norfolk Southern’s fourth-quarter 2025 earnings (excluding 35 cents from non-recurring items) of $3.22 per share beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.78 and increased 5.9% year over year.
Railway operating revenues were $2.97 billion in the quarter under review, lagging the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.00 billion. The top line fell 1.6% year over year, reflecting a 4% decline in volume. Total revenues per unit rose 2% year over year.
Stocks to Consider
Here are a few stocks from the broader Zacks Transportation sector that investors may consider, as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to beat on earnings this reporting cycle.
Landstar LSTR has an Earnings ESP of +2.43% and a Zacks Rank #3 at present and is scheduled to report first-quarter 2026 results on April 28, after market close.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter earnings has remained unchanged at $1.10 per share over the past 60 days. LSTR has a discouraging earnings surprise history, as its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in two of the preceding four quarters and missed twice in the remaining, delivering an average miss of 0.39%.
Expeditors EXPD has an Earnings ESP of +1.25% and a Zacks Rank #3 at present and is scheduled to report first-quarter 2026 results on May 5.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter earnings has been revised upwards by 0.76% to $1.33 per share over the past 60 days. EXPD has an encouraging earnings surprise history as its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the preceding four quarters, with an average beat of 10.1%.
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Norfolk Southern Corporation (NSC): Free Stock Analysis Report
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).