CluenexNorfolk Southern NSC
Norfolk Southern scores average on business quality (4.7 of 10). Here is why, in plain words, and what our sealed record shows.
Why it matters
- What Norfolk Southern does
Norfolk Southern hauls freight across the eastern United States, charging shippers to move raw materials, intermodal containers, and finished goods on its rail network.
- What it does best
Norfolk Southern commands an irreplaceable physical network across the eastern United States, translating to an operating margin of 33.8% that trails UNP's 40.0% but anchors a deeply entrenched regional transport monopoly.
- The main risk
Accidents and derailments threaten network reliability and invite heavy regulatory scrutiny, as highlighted by fresh safety concerns that risk fracturing shipper trust and driving up operating costs.
Quality, check by check
Scored against its own industry, from company filings.
Operating margin stands at 33.8% and FCF margin at 13.0%, generating strong raw earnings power that allows the business to convert roughly a third of its revenue into operating income.
The heavy physical rail infrastructure locks in industrial shippers who have no practical alternative, reflected in an operating margin sitting in the 96th percentile of its sector.
Revenue grew at 0.5% over the latest period, showing essentially flat momentum compared to historical levels as volumes struggle to break out of a tight range.
Debt-to-equity sits at 1.1 with an interest coverage ratio of 5.4x, while free cash flow of $1.6B supports a heavy capex load; overall, the balance sheet remains under pressure.
Insiders
Executives and directors, from SEC Form 4 filings we read ourselves. Open market trades only; grants, option exercises and pre-planned sales left out.
No open market buys or unplanned sales by executives or directors.
Our sealed record on NSC
Verdicts appear here 30 days after we publish them; members see today's. Each one is in the nightly ledger, fingerprinted the night it was made.
The first sealed verdicts appear here on Oct 11, 2026.
Questions
Norfolk Southern scores average on the Cluenex quality check (4.7 of 10), measured against its own industry. Profitability is strong, moat fair, growth slow and financial health fair.
In the last 90 days of SEC Form 4 filings: No open market buys or unplanned sales by executives or directors.
Oct 22, 2026, before the open.
See NSC today
- Today's verdict on NSC, and why
- Fair value with cautious, base and optimistic cases
- The exact price that would change the verdict
- Which stocks each signal names, the night it fires
Cite this page: Cluenex, “Norfolk Southern (NSC)”, https://cluenex.com/stocks/nsc/, data as of Oct 10, 2026.