Norfolk Southern Corporation
- Industry
- Freight Railroads
- Exchange
- US
- Country
- USA
- IPO date
- Jun 2, 1982
- Employees
- 19,300
- Website
- www.norfolksouthern.com
Composite valuation range · conservative $130–$180 / fair $185–$245 / optimistic $250–$320. At $343.35, Above the optimistic ceiling · future growth overdrawn.
At publication $314.53 (May 26, 2026)
Data from EODHD, shown in the reporting currency; for reference only, not investment advice.
Norfolk Southern Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the rail transportation of raw materials, intermediate products, and finished goods in the United States. The company transports agriculture, forest, and consumer products comprising soybeans, wheat, corn, fertilizers, livestock and poultry feed, food products, food oils, flour, sweeteners, ethanol, lumber and wood products, pulp board and paper products, wood fibers, wood pulp, beverages, and canned goods; chemicals, including sulfur and related chemicals, petroleum products comprising crude oil, chlorine and bleaching compounds, plastics, rubber, industrial chemicals, chemical wastes, sand, and natural gas liquids; metals and construction materials, such as steel, aluminum products, machinery, scrap metals, cement, aggregates, minerals, clay, transportation equipment, and military-related products; and automotive, including finished motor vehicles and automotive parts, as well as coal. It also transports overseas freight through various Atlantic and Gulf Coast ports; and operates an intermodal network. Norfolk Southern Corporation was incorporated in 1980 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
History
Norfolk Southern Corporation was incorporated in 1980 and completed its IPO on June 2, 1982. The company is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. In September 2024, the board dismissed former CEO Alan Shaw for violating company policy, appointed former CFO Mark George as CEO, and eliminated the chief legal officer role. In a deal announced in July 2025, Norfolk Southern signed a merger agreement to be acquired by Union Pacific, under which each NSC share would convert into 1 UNP share plus $88.82 in cash; the parties targeted closing in early 2027, and the transaction remained subject to approval by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB).
Industry position
Norfolk Southern is a core Class I railroad in the eastern United States, operating roughly 19,100 route miles in 2025 with rail operating revenue of $12.18 billion and net income of $2.873 billion. About 90% of revenue comes from contract or exemption-regulated transport, and its 2025 revenue mix was Merchandise 63%, Intermodal 25%, and Coal 12%; that year it handled 2.3 million merchandise carloads, 4.1 million intermodal units, and 78 million tons of coal. Its most direct comparable is CSX, while Union Pacific is a larger, more western Class I railroad. The company employs about 19,300 people, with roughly 80% covered by union agreements. Per AAR figures, railroads carry about 40% of U.S. long-haul ton-miles.