Norfolk Southern Corporation (NSC) is a Industrials company in the Railroads industry with a 72/100 Buy score. Key strengths include Revenue Growth (11.4%), Gross Margin (45.2%), Net Margin (21.0%). Areas to watch: Debt/Equity (1.06). The score on this page is a five-factor screen — revenue growth, gross margin, net margin, return on equity and debt-to-equity — each scored against fixed thresholds from a neutral starting point of 50 points. The eight-section analysis, including moat, free cash flow, dilution and valuation, runs in the full report.
This page score and the strengths and concerns above are produced by deterministic, rule-based calculations from the available third-party financial inputs documented below. AI does not choose the score, strengths, or concerns. Data and automated summaries can contain errors. This is not personalized investment advice. See our methodology and disclaimer.
The calculation starts at 50 points and applies the five fixed adjustments shown below. A missing input contributes zero. The current implementation also skips a provider-supplied numeric zero, which the table identifies separately. The pre-clamp result is 72; the published result is clamped to a minimum of 10 and maximum of 98, producing 72/100.
| Input | Displayed value | Threshold applied | Adjustment | Data status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth | 11.4% | > 10% to 20% | +8 | Available |
| Gross Margin | 45.2% | > 35% to 50% | +6 | Available |
| Net Margin | 21.0% | > 20% | +10 | Available |
| Return on Equity | 17.0% | > 12% to 20% | +6 | Available |
| Debt/Equity | 1.06 | 1.00 or higher | -8 | Available |
80 or higher: Strong Buy; 65–79: Buy; 50–64: Hold; below 50: Caution.
These are fixed names for score ranges. The score is not a success probability, recommendation, or forecast, and 80/100 does not mean an 80% chance of a gain.
This page was generated . The provider identifies the latest underlying financial period as June 30, 2026. The displayed market quote is dated September 17, 2026. Generation time is not the same as the date of the underlying filing or market observation.
Financial inputs may be delayed, restated, differently standardized by the data provider, or unavailable. Missing values receive no positive or negative adjustment rather than being estimated. This can make a sparse-data score less informative. The screen does not capture every business, market, valuation, or portfolio risk, and investors can lose money.
Review filings at SEC EDGAR and read our data sources, score guide, methodology, AI disclosure, and corrections policy.
4 data points sit outside the score itself but bear on Norfolk Southern Corporation's next few quarters. They are reported here as observations, not predictions:
3 measurable risks showed up in Norfolk Southern Corporation's numbers. This is not a complete list of what could go wrong — only what is visible in the data we score:
Norfolk Southern Corporation's liquidity and cash generation as of the most recent filing — note the cash position of $1.07B against $17.15B of debt:
These are provider-normalized figures and may differ from the issuer's as-filed presentation, units, or latest amendment. Use source filings for verification.
Institutional investment managers with >$100 M in qualifying assets must disclose their equity positions quarterly on SEC Form 13F — typically within 45 days of quarter-end. Search those filings below to see which hedge funds, mutual funds, and asset managers reported NSC as a holding, how many shares they held, and how positions changed quarter over quarter.
NSC rates 72/100 on our five-factor fundamentals screen, which puts it in the "Buy" band. The band name describes a fixed range in this model; it is not a recommendation or prediction. The calculation above shows how each reported input affected the result.
Norfolk Southern Corporation clears our thresholds on most of what we measure. The strongest readings are revenue growth (11.4%) and gross margin (45.2%). It is not unqualified: debt/equity (1.06) works against it.
Norfolk Southern Corporation reported revenue growth of 11.4% year over year, against a Railroads peer set where scale and pricing power vary widely. That is solid but not exceptional, so it lifts the score without dominating it.
Earnings fell -4.4% over the same period, trailing revenue, which points to cost or margin pressure.
Track upcoming report dates on our earnings calendar.
This is a review of reported fundamentals, not a price target or an estimate of future returns. These are the current figures that may be useful to monitor as new filings become available.
Current reading: Revenue growth of 11.4% is above the model's 10% threshold. Net margins of 21.0% show how much reported revenue currently converts to profit. Future filings may change either figure and the resulting score.
These are the Norfolk Southern Corporation figures that push the score up, taken straight from the most recent reported financials:
These are the figures working against NSC in the same model:
See how the metrics on this NSC page — quality score, valuation, DCF scenarios, confidence labels, and data limitations — are organized in the downloadable research report.
Generate My Free NSC ReportGuides to the specific measures used in this NSC analysis:
How the financial statements behind this page fit together.
Understanding P/E RatioWhat NSC's 27.2x multiple does and does not tell you.
Return on Equity (ROE)Why NSC's 17.0% return on equity matters for stock selection.
Stock Valuation MethodsHow DCF, multiples and asset-based approaches value a company like Norfolk Southern Corporation.
How to Read Earnings ReportsWhere the NSC growth and margin figures on this page come from.
What Are Demand Zones?The technical side we deliberately keep out of the NSC score.
Latest SEC filings for NSC explained in plain English — insider buys/sells (Form 4), proposed sales (Form 144), material events (8-K), and quarterly & annual reports.
