NS - Norfolk Southern Corporation

04/24/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/24/2026 08:37

Quarterly Report for Quarter Ending March 31, 2026 (Form 10-Q)

Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes.
OVERVIEW
Since 1827, Norfolk Southern Corporation and its predecessor companies have safely moved the goods and materials that drive the U.S. economy. Our dedicated team members deliver a wide variety of commodities annually for our customers, from agriculture products to consumer goods, and help them reduce carbon emissions by shipping via rail. We have the most extensive intermodal network in the eastern U.S. Our network serves a majority of the country's population and manufacturing base, with connections to every major container port on the Atlantic coast as well as major ports in the Gulf Coast and Great Lakes.
On July 28, 2025, we entered into a Merger Agreement with Union Pacific, marking a transformational step toward creating America's first transcontinental railroad - an outcome we believe will unlock new opportunities for our customers, employees, and the broader U.S. economy. By integrating two complementary networks, we believe the merged company will be positioned to deliver more efficient, reliable, and sustainable freight service across the nation. Details of the proposed transaction are further described in Note 1.
Our first-quarter performance reflected disciplined cost control despite headwinds from rising fuel costs. Our year-over-year results were impacted by incremental Merger-related expenses and the absence of insurance recoveries related to the Eastern Ohio Incident. Nevertheless, we continued to drive improvements in labor productivity and fuel efficiency. For the first quarter, we achieved an operating ratio (a measure of the amount of operating revenues consumed by operating expenses) of 70.7%, and an adjusted operating ratio of 68.7% (see our non-GAAP reconciliations beginning on page 24). We remain committed to being a safe, productive, resilient, and efficient railroad with industry-competitive margins.
SUMMARIZED RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
First Quarter
2026 2025 % change
($ in millions, except per share amounts)
Railway operating revenues $ 2,998 $ 2,993 -%
Railway operating expenses $ 2,121 $ 1,847 15%
Income from railway operations $ 877 $ 1,146 (23%)
Net income $ 547 $ 750 (27%)
Diluted earnings per share $ 2.43 $ 3.31 (27%)
Railway operating ratio (percent) 70.7 61.7 15%
Income from railway operations, net income, and diluted earnings per share decreased, the result of higher railway operating expenses, primarily related to the absence of insurance recoveries related to the Eastern Ohio Incident recognized in the prior year. Our financial results were further impacted by Merger-related expenses, inflation, and higher fuel prices, partially offset by productivity savings and an increase in average revenue per unit, primarily driven by favorable mix.
The following tables adjust our GAAP financial results for the first quarters of 2026 and 2025 to exclude the effects of the Incident. First quarter 2026 results are also adjusted to exclude Merger-related expenses. The income tax effects of these non-GAAP adjustments were calculated based on the applicable tax rates to which the non-GAAP adjustments related. We use these non-GAAP financial measures internally and believe this information provides
useful supplemental information to investors to facilitate making period-to-period comparisons by excluding these items. While we believe that these non-GAAP financial measures are useful in evaluating our business, this information should be considered as supplemental in nature and is not meant to be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, the related financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP. In addition, these non-GAAP financial measures may not be the same as similar measures presented by other companies.
Non-GAAP Reconciliation for First Quarter 2026
Reported (GAAP) Merger - Related Expenses Eastern Ohio Incident Adjusted
(non-GAAP)
($ in millions, except per share amounts)
Railway operating expenses $ 2,121 $ (52) $ (10) $ 2,059
Income from railway operations $ 877 $ 52 $ 10 $ 939
Net income $ 547 $ 43 $ 7 $ 597
Diluted earnings per share $ 2.43 $ 0.19 $ 0.03 $ 2.65
Railway operating ratio (percent) 70.7 (1.7) (0.3) 68.7
Non-GAAP Reconciliation for First Quarter 2025
Reported (GAAP) Eastern Ohio Incident Adjusted
(non-GAAP)
($ in millions, except per share amounts)
Railway operating expenses $ 1,847 $ 185 $ 2,032
Income from railway operations $ 1,146 $ (185) $ 961
Net income $ 750 $ (141) $ 609
Diluted earnings per share $ 3.31 $ (0.62) $ 2.69
Railway operating ratio (percent) 61.7 6.2 67.9
In the table below, references to the results for the first quarters of 2026 and 2025 and related comparisons use the adjusted, non-GAAP results from the reconciliations in the previous tables.
Adjusted (non-GAAP)
First Quarter
2026 2025 % change
($ in millions, except per share amounts)
Railway operating expenses $ 2,059 $ 2,032 1%
Income from railway operations $ 939 $ 961 (2%)
Net income $ 597 $ 609 (2%)
Diluted earnings per share $ 2.65 $ 2.69 (1%)
Railway operating ratio (percent) 68.7 67.9 1%
On an adjusted basis, income from railway operations decreased due to higher railway operating expenses. The increase in adjusted railway operating expenses reflects inflation and higher fuel prices, partially offset by productivity savings and an increase in average revenue per unit, primarily driven by favorable mix.
DETAILED RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Railway Operating Revenues
The following tables present a comparison of revenues ($ in millions), units (in thousands), and average revenue per unit ($ per unit) by commodity group.
First Quarter
Revenues 2026 2025 % change
Merchandise:
Agriculture, forest and consumer products $ 625 $ 636 (2%)
Chemicals 567 535 6%
Metals and construction 413 414 -%
Automotive 280 278 1%
Merchandise 1,885 1,863 1%
Intermodal 749 760 (1%)
Coal 364 370 (2%)
Total $ 2,998 $ 2,993 -%
Units
Merchandise:
Agriculture, forest and consumer products 181.3 183.6 (1%)
Chemicals 141.4 132.0 7%
Metals and construction 145.5 148.3 (2%)
Automotive 89.6 88.3 1%
Merchandise 557.8 552.2 1%
Intermodal 980.6 1,022.9 (4%)
Coal 178.8 164.7 9%
Total 1,717.2 1,739.8 (1%)
Revenue per Unit
Merchandise:
Agriculture, forest and consumer products $ 3,444 $ 3,466 (1%)
Chemicals 4,008 4,051 (1%)
Metals and construction 2,841 2,791 2%
Automotive 3,125 3,152 (1%)
Merchandise 3,379 3,374 -%
Intermodal 764 743 3%
Coal 2,034 2,247 (9%)
Total 1,746 1,720 2%
Railway operating revenues increased $5 million compared with the same period last year. The table below reflects the components of the revenue change by major commodity group ($ in millions).
First Quarter
Merchandise Intermodal Coal
Increase (Decrease)
Volume $ 19 $ (31) $ 32
Fuel surcharge revenue 3 4 1
Rate, mix and other - 16 (39)
Total $ 22 $ (11) $ (6)
Approximately 95% of our revenue base is covered by contracts that include negotiated fuel surcharges. Revenues associated with these surcharges totaled $210 million and $202 million in the first quarters of 2026 and 2025, respectively. Fuel surcharge revenues for the remainder of the year are expected to increase based on current fuel commodity prices.
Merchandise
Merchandise revenues increased primarily due to higher volume.
Agriculture, forest and consumer products volume declined primarily due to lower pulpboard and corn shipments, partially offset by higher feed and fertilizer volume. Pulpboard volume decreased as a result of unplanned customer downtime resulting from severe winter weather. Corn volume declined due to reduced demand for shipments to the southeast compared to the prior year. These declines were partially offset by higher feed volume, reflecting gains in soymeal and corn germ meal shipments, and increased fertilizer volume driven by lower phosphate commodity prices early in the year.
Chemicals volume rose primarily due to higher shipments of natural gas liquids, inorganic chemicals, crude oil, and sand. Natural gas liquids volume rose due to increased domestic and export demand. Inorganic chemical volume increased, driven by rock salt restocking resulting from severe winter weather. Crude oil volume increased compared to the prior year, which was impacted by tariff-related uncertainty. Sand volume increased due to strong demand to support natural gas drilling.
Metals and construction volume decreased primarily driven by lower aggregate shipments as a result of severe winter weather conditions.
Automotive volume increased driven by growth with existing customers, partially offset by production downtime and model discontinuations for certain manufacturers.
Intermodal
Intermodal revenues decreased due to lower volume, partially offset by higher average revenue per unit, driven by increased pricing.
Intermodal units (in thousands) by market were as follows:
First Quarter
2026 2025 % change
Domestic 603.8 608.8 (1%)
International 376.8 414.1 (9%)
Total 980.6 1,022.9 (4%)
Domestic volume decreased as a result of lower premium demand. International volume declined in the current period as the prior year benefited from elevated volume related to anticipated tariff changes.
Coal
Coal revenues decreased due to lower average revenue per unit, driven by reduced pricing and adverse mix, partially offset by higher volumes.
Coal tonnage (in thousands) by market was as follows:
First Quarter
2026 2025 % change
Utility 9,317 7,312 27%
Export 8,226 8,260 -%
Domestic metallurgical 1,728 2,085 (17%)
Industrial 901 860 5%
Total 20,172 18,517 9%
Utility tonnage increased due to higher electricity demand, higher natural gas prices, and restocking of customer inventories. Export tonnage was flat as increased customer demand was offset by winter weather-related impacts. Domestic metallurgical tonnage decreased due to idled facilities and winter weather impacts. Industrial coal tonnage increased as a result of increased demand.
Railway Operating Expenses
Railway operating expenses summarized by major classifications follow ($ in millions):
First Quarter
2026 2025 % change
Compensation and benefits $ 740 $ 739 -%
Purchased services 418 401 4%
Equipment rents 104 97 7%
Fuel 256 244 5%
Depreciation 352 346 2%
Materials 94 100 (6%)
Claims 53 66 (20%)
Other 42 39 8%
Merger-related expenses 52 -
Eastern Ohio incident 10 (185) 105%
Total $ 2,121 $ 1,847 15%
Compensation and benefits expense increased slightly as follows:
•pay rates (up $21 million),
•health and welfare benefit rates (up $7 million),
•payroll taxes (up $6 million),
•incentive and stock-based compensation (down $24 million),
•employee activity levels (down $11 million), and
•other (up $2 million).
Average rail headcount for the quarter was down by approximately 320 compared with the first quarter of 2025.
Purchased services includes the costs of services purchased from external vendors and contractors, including the net costs of operating joint facilities with other railroads. Expense increased primarily due to higher costs associated with severe winter weather and technology-related costs.
Equipment rents, which includes our cost of using equipment (mostly freight cars) owned by other railroads or private owners less the rent paid to us for the use of our equipment, increased due to higher automotive equipment expenses driven by higher volumes as well as lower earnings from our investment in TTX.
Fuel expense, which includes the cost of locomotive fuel as well as other fuel used in railway operations, increased due to higher locomotive fuel prices. We expect fuel expense for the remainder of the year to increase based on current fuel commodity prices.
Depreciation expense increased due to a higher asset base.
Materials expense decreased due to lower freight car repairs and reduced engineering material consumption.
Claims expense includes costs related to personal injury, property damage, and environmental matters. Claims expense decreased primarily due to lower personal injury expense and reduced costs related to environmental matters unrelated to the Incident.
Other expense increased primarily due to lower gains from operating property sales. Gains from the sales of operating property totaled $17 million and $23 million in the first quarter of 2026 and 2025, respectively.
Merger-related expenses primarily relate to costs associated with employee retention agreements, third-party advisor fees, and legal fees and were $52 million in the first quarter.
Eastern Ohio incident expenses were $10 million in the first quarter of 2026. In the first quarter of 2025, insurance and other recoveries exceeded additional Incident-related expenses by $185 million. Cash payments attributable to the Incident were $300 million during the first three months of 2026, while insurance recoveries collected exceeded payments by $58 million during the first three months of 2025, which are presented in "Net cash provided by operating activities" on the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. For further details regarding the Incident, see Note 12.
Other income - net
Other income - net increased $4 million primarily due to higher pension and postretirement benefits and higher interest income, partially offset by lower returns on COLI.
Income taxes
The effective tax rate for the first three months of 2026 was 23.5% compared with 23.3% for the same period last year.
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND LIQUIDITY
Cash provided by operating activities, our principal source of liquidity, was $344 million for the first three months of 2026, compared with $950 million for the same period of 2025. The decrease was driven by higher cash payments related to the Incident and higher cash paid for income taxes. We had negative working capital of $311 million and $577 million at March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025, respectively. Cash and cash equivalents totaled $1.3 billion and $1.5 billion at March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025, respectively.
Cash used in investing activities was $213 million for the first three months of 2026, compared with $1.0 billion for the same period last year. The decrease was driven by the absence of COLI loan repayments and lower property additions, partially offset by higher proceeds from property sales and other transactions.
Cash used in financing activities was $320 million for the first three months of 2026, compared with $564 million for the same period last year. The decrease reflects lower repurchases of Common Stock. We did not repurchase any Common Stock during the first three months of 2026, while we repurchased $248 million during the same period last year. As of March 31, 2026, $6.3 billion remains authorized by our Board of Directors for repurchase. With limited exceptions, the Merger Agreement prohibits the Company from repurchasing shares of its common stock without approval by Union Pacific. As a result, the Company has suspended share repurchase activities.
We have in place an $800 million credit agreement. The agreement expires in January 2029, and provides for borrowings at prevailing rates and includes covenants. We had no amounts outstanding under this facility at either March 31, 2026 or December 31, 2025, and we are in compliance with all of its covenants.
We have an agreement that provides us the ability to issue up to $800 million of unsecured commercial paper and is backed by our credit agreement. The unsecured short-term commercial paper program provides for borrowing at prevailing rates and includes covenants. At both March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025, we had no outstanding commercial paper.
We have in place an accounts receivable securitization program with a maximum borrowing capacity of $400 million. Amounts under our accounts receivable securitization program are borrowed and repaid from time to time in the ordinary course for general corporate and cash management purposes. The term of our accounts receivable securitization program expires in May 2026. We had no amounts outstanding under this program and our available borrowing capacity was $400 million at March 31, 2026 and $397 million at December 31, 2025.
In addition, we have investments in general purpose COLI policies and have the ability to borrow against these policies. We had no amounts borrowed against these policies at March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025. Our remaining borrowing capacity was approximately $590 million and $595 million at March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025, respectively.
Our debt-to-total capitalization ratio was 52.0% at March 31, 2026 and 52.4% at December 31, 2025. We expect cash on hand combined with cash provided by operating activities will be sufficient to meet our ongoing obligations. In addition, we believe our currently-available borrowing capacity, access to additional financing, ability to reduce shareholder distributions, and ability to moderate or defer property additions provide additional flexibility to meet our ongoing obligations in the short- and long-term, subject to certain restrictions on incurring additional indebtedness under the Merger Agreement. There have been no material changes to the information on future contractual obligations, including those that may have material cash requirements, contained in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, with the exception of approximately $300 million of additional unconditional purchase obligations, which extend through 2030.
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES
The preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. These estimates and assumptions may require judgment about matters that are inherently uncertain, and future events are likely to occur that may require us to make changes to these estimates and assumptions. Accordingly, we regularly review these estimates and assumptions based on historical experience, changes in the business environment, and other factors we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. There have been no significant changes to the critical accounting estimates contained in our Form 10-K at December 31, 2025.
OTHER MATTERS
Labor Agreements
Approximately 80% of our railroad employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements with various labor unions. Pursuant to the RLA, these agreements remain in effect until new agreements are reached, or until the bargaining procedures mandated by the RLA are completed. Moratorium provisions in the labor agreements govern when the railroads and unions may propose changes to the agreements. We largely bargain nationally in concert with other major railroads, represented by the NCCC.
Under moratorium provisions from the last round of negotiations, neither party was permitted to serve notice to compel a new round of mandatory collective bargaining until November 1, 2024. Since that date, Norfolk Southern, or the NCCC acting on behalf of Norfolk Southern, has engaged in discussions and reached ratified agreements with all of our labor unions.
Moratorium clauses in these new ratified agreements foreclose the parties from serving further notices to compel mandatory bargaining until November 1, 2029. During this period, self-help against Norfolk Southern (e.g., a strike or other work stoppage) related to the mandatory collective-bargaining process is prohibited by law.
Inflation
In preparing financial statements, GAAP requires the use of historical cost that disregards the effects of inflation on the replacement cost of property. As a capital-intensive company, we have most of our capital invested in long-lived assets. The replacement cost of these assets, as well as the related depreciation expense, would be substantially greater than the amounts reported on the basis of historical cost.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements in this report, including in Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. These statements relate to future events or our future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance, or our achievements or those of our industry to be materially different from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "may," "will," "could," "would," "should," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "intend," "believe," "estimate," "project," "consider," "predict," "potential," "feel," or other comparable terminology. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations, assumptions, estimates, beliefs, and projections. While we believe these expectations, assumptions, estimates, beliefs, and projections are reasonable, such forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which involve factors or circumstances that are beyond our control. The following important factors, including those discussed under "Risk Factors" in our latest Form 10-K as well as our subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements:
•changes in domestic or international economic, political or business conditions, including those impacting the transportation industry;
•our ability to successfully implement our operational, productivity, and strategic initiatives;
•a significant adverse event on our network, including but not limited to a mainline accident, discharge of hazardous material, or climate-related or other network outage;
•the outcome of claims, litigation, governmental proceedings, and investigations involving the Company, including but not limited to the Incident Proceedings;
•new or additional governmental regulation and/or operational changes resulting from or related to the Incident or the Incident Proceedings;
•a significant cybersecurity incident or other disruption to our technology infrastructure;
•our ability to complete the Mergers with Union Pacific;
•the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the right of one or both of the Company or Union Pacific to terminate the Merger Agreement;
•the possibility that the Mergers do not close when expected or at all because required Surface Transportation Board review and approval, or other approvals and other conditions to close are not received or satisfied on a timely basis or at all (and the risk that such approvals may result in the imposition of conditions that could adversely affect the combined company or the expected benefits of the Mergers);
•the risk that the combined company will not realize expected benefits, cost savings, accretion, synergies and/or growth from the Mergers, or that such benefits may take longer to realize or be more costly to achieve than expected;
•disruption to the Company's business as a result of the announcement and pendency of the Mergers, including the restrictions contained in the Merger Agreement on the ability of the Company to operate its business outside the ordinary course during the pendency of the Mergers;
•the diversion of the Company's management's attention and time from ongoing business operations and opportunities on Merger-related items;
•the possibility that the Mergers may be more expensive to complete than anticipated, including as a result of unexpected factors or events; and
•the reputational risk and adverse reactions of customers (certain of whom have and may continue to diversify their distribution networks, including in response to actions by our competitors), suppliers, employees, labor unions or other business partners, including those resulting from the announcement or completion of the Mergers.
The forward-looking statements herein are made only as of the date they were first issued, and unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws, we disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
Additional Information
Investors and others should note that we routinely use the Investor Relations, Performance Metrics, and Sustainability sections of our website (norfolksouthern.investorroom.com/key-investor-information, norfolksouthern.investorroom.com/weekly-performance-reports & norfolksouthern.com/sustainability) to post presentations to investors and other important information, including information that may be deemed material to investors. Information about us, including information that may be deemed material, may also be announced by posts on our social media channels, including X (formerly known as Twitter) (x.com/nscorp) and LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/company/norfolk-southern). We may also use our website and social media channels for the purpose of complying with our disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. As a result, we encourage investors, the media, and others interested in Norfolk Southern to review the information posted on our website and social media channels. The information posted on our website and social media channels is not incorporated by reference in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
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