NSC
IndustrialsNorfolk Southern Corporation · Railroads · $65B
NSC — Key Takeaways
✅ Strengths
⚠️ Areas of Concern
NSC — Score History
| Date | UQS | Quality | Moat | Growth | Risk | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 8, 2026 | 48.3 | 75.7 | 54.0 | 26.7 | 34.1 | 36.2 | -0.1 |
| Apr 7, 2026 | 48.4 | 75.7 | 54.0 | 27.1 | 34.1 | 36.4 | 0.0 |
| Apr 6, 2026 | 48.4 | 75.7 | 54.0 | 27.1 | 34.1 | 36.4 | 0.0 |
| Apr 5, 2026 | 48.4 | 75.7 | 54.0 | 27.1 | 34.1 | 36.4 | 0.0 |
| Apr 4, 2026 | 48.4 | 75.7 | 54.0 | 27.1 | 34.1 | 36.4 | -0.1 |
| Apr 3, 2026 | 48.5 | 75.7 | 54.0 | 27.1 | 34.1 | 36.5 | 0.0 |
| Apr 2, 2026 | 48.5 | 75.7 | 54.0 | 27.1 | 34.1 | 36.5 | — |
NSC — Pillar Breakdown
Quality
— 75.7/100 (25%)Norfolk Southern Corporation demonstrates outstanding capital efficiency and profitability, placing it among the highest-quality businesses in the market.
How effectively capital is deployed to generate returns.
Profitability relative to shareholders' equity.
Ability to convert revenue into operating profit.
Bottom-line profit as a share of revenue.
Asset productivity — how much gross profit each dollar of assets generates.
Free cash flow relative to market value.
Growth
— 26.7/100 (20%)Norfolk Southern Corporation faces growth headwinds with declining or stagnant revenue trends.
Revenue trajectory over the last twelve months.
Compound annual revenue growth rate over 3 years.
Year-over-year earnings per share growth.
Analyst consensus for future revenue growth.
Analyst consensus for future earnings growth.
Risk
— 34.1/100 (15%)Norfolk Southern Corporation presents elevated risk with concerns around leverage or financial stability.
Debt levels relative to earnings capacity.
Total debt relative to shareholder equity.
Short-term liquidity — ability to pay near-term obligations.
Earnings capacity relative to interest payments.
Valuation
— 36.2/100 (15%)Norfolk Southern Corporation has a mixed valuation — some metrics suggest fair value while others appear stretched.
Inverse of forward P/E — higher yield means cheaper stock.
How many years of FCF the market cap represents.
P/E relative to earnings growth — lower is more attractive.
Moat
— 54/100 (30%)Norfolk Southern Corporation possesses some competitive advantages but faces meaningful competition. The Moat pillar evaluates competitive advantages across five dimensions: Switching Costs, Network Effects, Cost Advantage, Intangible Assets, and Scale & Ecosystem. Sign in to customize moat ratings for NSC.
Score Composition
More Stock Analysis
How is the NSC UQS Score Calculated?
The UQS (Unified Quality Score) for Norfolk Southern Corporation is calculated using a proprietary 5-pillar framework with 25 financial metrics. Each pillar evaluates a different dimension on a 0–100 scale, then combines into a single weighted score. Scoring thresholds are calibrated per sector.
Quality (25%) measures profitability and capital efficiency — ROIC, ROE, margins, GP/Assets, and FCF Yield.
Moat (25%) assesses Norfolk Southern Corporation's competitive advantages across switching costs, network effects, cost advantages, intangible assets, and ecosystem scale.
Growth (20%) tracks revenue trajectory and earnings momentum, combining historical results with analyst forward estimates.
Risk (15%) is inversely scored — lower leverage and strong balance sheet health result in higher scores.
Valuation (15%) measures whether Norfolk Southern Corporation is fairly priced using earnings yield, price-to-FCF, PEG ratio, and EV/EBITDA relative to sector peers.
Six investor-inspired presets are available, each with different pillar weights: Balanced, Buffett, Munger, Lynch, Cathie Wood, and Graham. The public score shown here uses the Balanced preset. Learn more in our FAQ.