Norfolk Southern Corp. (NSC) scored on five pillars from its reported financial statements, and ranked against 270 Industrials companies.
Norfolk Southern Corp. (NSC) scores 4.9 out of 10 as of , computed from its reported financial statements. That reads as mixed quality. The reading rests on profitability, and growth is what holds it back.
Data provided by Twelve Data. Scores are computed by Lemma Analysis from reported financials.
We cannot judge Norfolk Southern Corp. yet, because fewer than five years had both a return on capital and a cost of capital we could measure. This is not a “no”.
Quantitative signs of a moat, read from the filed statements. This is not a judgement of where it comes from (brand, network effects, switching costs). How Lemma measures a moat →
Norfolk Southern Corp. (NSC) has a Lemma Quality Score of 4.9 out of 10 as of October 18, 2026, which reads as mixed quality. A mixed reading means the strengths and weaknesses roughly cancel out, and the case for the business depends on which pillars you care about most. Five pillars feed it, and every one of them is computed from what the company reported rather than from its share price.
Ranked with the 270 Industrials companies Lemma publishes, the score sits at the 38th percentile, in the weaker half of its peers. For reference, the middle of the group scores 5.6 and a company needs 6.5 to reach its top quarter, which leaves Norfolk Southern Corp. below the median.
On profitability, Norfolk Southern Corp. scores 6.4, an average reading. Its peers have a median of 4.9 across 262 Industrials companies, which places it well above them, at the 69th percentile. An average profitability reading usually means the company earns a fair return without obvious pricing power, so the other pillars decide more of the story.
Solvency scores 4.9 out of 10, which reads as average. The median across 241 Industrials companies is 7.1, so Norfolk Southern Corp. is well below its peers on this pillar and ranks at the 24th percentile. Leverage in the middle of the range is rarely a problem in good years, and it is worth watching how quickly it would tighten in a weak one.
On growth, Norfolk Southern Corp. scores 3.0, a weak reading. Its peers have a median of 5.4 across 216 Industrials companies, which places it well below them, at the 19th percentile. A low growth score is common for large, established companies and is not a verdict on quality on its own, but it limits how the business can compound.
On efficiency, Norfolk Southern Corp. scores 3.8, a weak reading. Its peers have a median of 6.2 across 264 Industrials companies, which places it well below them, at the 16th percentile. A low efficiency score is worth reading alongside profitability: earnings that do not convert into cash are worth less than they look.
Norfolk Southern Corp.’s predictability score is 5.7 out of 10 (average). Against a median of 5.0 among 267 Industrials companies, that is above the group and the 64th percentile. An average predictability reading means results have wobbled about as much as is normal for the sector.
The profile is uneven. Profitability leads at 6.4 while growth trails at 3.0, a gap of 3.4 points, so the overall averages a clear strength against a clear soft spot. Leading with profitability is the most valuable kind of strength, because margins and returns are what the other pillars ultimately feed. A growth shortfall often comes with size or a maturing market, and is less of a concern if the other pillars are strong.
The pillar with the most room to move the score is growth. If it rose to the median of Industrials companies, 5.4, Norfolk Southern Corp.’s overall score would go from 4.9 to about 5.4. All five pillars could be scored, so the overall uses the full set of weights out of 100: profitability 25, solvency 20, growth 20, efficiency 15, predictability 20.
These are the Industrials companies closest to Norfolk Southern Corp. in market value. Each has its own page scored on the same five pillars, so the comparison is like for like.
How much profit the company generates from its capital and sales.
The company’s ability to service debt and meet its obligations.
How fast revenue, earnings and cash flow are compounding.
How well assets and earnings convert into cash and output.
How stable and consistent results have been over time.
Each metric is scored from 0 to 10 against sector-aware benchmarks, where higher is better. Metrics roll up into five pillars, and the pillars combine into the overall score using the weights shown. Sector-sensitive metrics are judged relative to peers in the same sector.
This score is a systematic, backward-looking read of reported fundamentals. It does not judge valuation, management quality, competitive moat, or future prospects, and can be distorted by one-off items or unusual accounting. Treat it as a starting point, not a recommendation.
Educational only. Not investment advice.
On this reading Norfolk Southern Corp. scores 4.9 out of 10, which reads as mixed quality. Its strongest pillar is profitability, its weakest is growth. Quality is not the same as a good investment: the score says nothing about the price you would pay.
Norfolk Southern Corp. ranks at the 38th percentile of the 270 Industrials companies Lemma publishes a score for. The median there is 5.6 and the top quarter starts at 6.5, against Norfolk Southern Corp.’s 4.9.
Five pillars, each scored from 0 to 10 against sector-aware benchmarks and then weighted into one overall reading: profitability, solvency, growth, efficiency and predictability. Everything comes from reported financials, and nothing comes from price, sentiment or forecasts.
This page last changed on October 18, 2026. The score moves with the financial statements, so the page changes when a new filing moves the reading rather than on a schedule. Live figures for NSC are in the app.
No. Quality and valuation are separate questions, and a good business at the wrong price is still a bad purchase. Score the business here, then price it with a DCF you control.
Inside Lemma Analysis the same five pillars run on every company we cover, with the metrics behind each one, current fundamentals, a DCF you control and a watchlist that tells you when the price catches up.
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