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The Zacks Consensus Estimate for NSC’s second-quarter 2026 earnings has been revised upward by 3.53% over the past 60 days to $3.23 per share. The consensus mark for earnings implies a 1.8% decline from the year-ago actuals. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for NSC's second-quarter 2026 revenues is pegged at $3.32 billion, indicating a 6.7% fall year over year.
Norfolk Southern has an encouraging earnings surprise history. The company’s earnings outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average beat of 6.45%.
Norfolk Southern Corporation Price and EPS Surprise
Let’s see how things are likely to have shaped up for Norfolk Southern this earnings season.
Factors Likely to Have Influenced NSC’s Q2 Performance
We expect NSC’s performance in the to-be-reported quarter to have been bolstered by an uptick in freight market demand and robust cost-cutting initiatives.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the Railway operating revenues from the intermodal segment is anticipated to have increased 5.7% from the year ago actuals.
E-commerce demand is likely to have driven NSC's shipment volumes in the to-be-reported quarter, thereby boosting the company's top line. Additionally, service quality is expected to have improved through the company's Precision Scheduled Railroading operating plan, enabling more efficient utilization of assets.
What Our Model Says About NSC
Our proven model predicts an earnings beat for Norfolk Southern 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.
NSC posted earnings (excluding 22 cents from non-recurring items) of $2.65 per share for the first quarter of 2026, topping the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.51. The adjusted figure was down 1.5% from $2.69 a year ago.
Railway operating revenues were $3.0 billion, edging past the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.99 billion and rising 0.2% year over year. The adjusted operating ratio (operating expenses as a % of revenues) in the quarter landed at 68.7%, as higher costs and fuel headwinds weighed on profitability. The year-ago value of the metric was 67.9%. A lower value of the metric is preferable.
Other 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.
CSX Corporation (CSX - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +1.31% and a Zacks Rank #2 at present. CSX is scheduled to report second-quarter 2026 results on July 22, after market close.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the second-quarter 2026 earnings has been revised upward by 6.38% over the past 60 days to 50 cents per share. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $3.82 billion, indicating a 6.90% increase from the second-quarter 2025 actuals.
Schneider National (SNDR - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +1.50% and a Zacks Rank #2 at present. SNDR is scheduled to report second-quarter 2026 earnings on July 30.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for second-quarter 2026 earnings has been remained flat at 22 cents over the past 60 days. SNDR’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in one of the preceding four quarters (missing the mark twice and met the mark once in the remaining three quarters). The average miss is 17.97%.
View the Zacks #1 Rank List
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NSC to Report Q2 Earnings: What's in the Offing for the Stock?
Key Takeaways
Norfolk Southern Corporation (NSC - Free Report) is scheduled to report second-quarter 2026 results on July 23, before market open.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for NSC’s second-quarter 2026 earnings has been revised upward by 3.53% over the past 60 days to $3.23 per share. The consensus mark for earnings implies a 1.8% decline from the year-ago actuals. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for NSC's second-quarter 2026 revenues is pegged at $3.32 billion, indicating a 6.7% fall year over year.
Norfolk Southern has an encouraging earnings surprise history. The company’s earnings outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average beat of 6.45%.
Norfolk Southern Corporation Price and EPS Surprise
Norfolk Southern Corporation price-eps-surprise | Norfolk Southern Corporation Quote
Let’s see how things are likely to have shaped up for Norfolk Southern this earnings season.
Factors Likely to Have Influenced NSC’s Q2 Performance
We expect NSC’s performance in the to-be-reported quarter to have been bolstered by an uptick in freight market demand and robust cost-cutting initiatives.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the Railway operating revenues from the intermodal segment is anticipated to have increased 5.7% from the year ago actuals.
E-commerce demand is likely to have driven NSC's shipment volumes in the to-be-reported quarter, thereby boosting the company's top line. Additionally, service quality is expected to have improved through the company's Precision Scheduled Railroading operating plan, enabling more efficient utilization of assets.
What Our Model Says About NSC
Our proven model predicts an earnings beat for Norfolk Southern 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.
NSC has an Earnings ESP of +0.21% 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 Q1 Results
NSC posted earnings (excluding 22 cents from non-recurring items) of $2.65 per share for the first quarter of 2026, topping the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.51. The adjusted figure was down 1.5% from $2.69 a year ago.
Railway operating revenues were $3.0 billion, edging past the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.99 billion and rising 0.2% year over year. The adjusted operating ratio (operating expenses as a % of revenues) in the quarter landed at 68.7%, as higher costs and fuel headwinds weighed on profitability. The year-ago value of the metric was 67.9%. A lower value of the metric is preferable.
Other 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.
CSX Corporation (CSX - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +1.31% and a Zacks Rank #2 at present. CSX is scheduled to report second-quarter 2026 results on July 22, after market close.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the second-quarter 2026 earnings has been revised upward by 6.38% over the past 60 days to 50 cents per share. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $3.82 billion, indicating a 6.90% increase from the second-quarter 2025 actuals.
Schneider National (SNDR - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +1.50% and a Zacks Rank #2 at present. SNDR is scheduled to report second-quarter 2026 earnings on July 30.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for second-quarter 2026 earnings has been remained flat at 22 cents over the past 60 days. SNDR’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in one of the preceding four quarters (missing the mark twice and met the mark once in the remaining three quarters). The average miss is 17.97%.