Norfolk Southern (NSC) FCF Payout Ratio (2010 - 2026)
Norfolk Southern's (NSC) FCF Payout Ratio stood at 0.41 in Q3 2026, down 1.9% from 0.42 a year earlier and down 16.2% from the prior quarter.
Norfolk Southern (NSC) FCF Payout Ratio (2010 - 2026) Analysis & Trends
On a TTM basis, Norfolk Southern's FCF Payout Ratio came in at 0.74 as of Sep 30, 2026, up 26.9% year-over-year; for FY2025, it came in at 0.56, down 98.7% from FY2024.
- Across earlier years, FCF Payout Ratio came in at 43.61 in FY2024, 1.48 in FY2023 (+187.6%), 0.51 in FY2022 (+39.0%) and 0.37 in FY2021 (-17.6%).
- The Q3 2026 figure is the lowest quarterly FCF Payout Ratio since Q1 2023.
- Peak year-over-year performance for FCF Payout Ratio in the last five years was growth of 809.0% in Q3 2023, against a decline of 82.6% in Q3 2024 at the low end.
Peer Comparison
| # | Company | Market Cap | Enterprise Value | Gross Profit (Qtr) | FCF Cover (Qtr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Union Pacific | 178.63 Bn | 170.88 Bn | - | - |
| 2 | Csx | 94.16 Bn | 89.39 Bn | - | 0.25 |
| 3 | United Parcel Service | 83.47 Bn | 60.32 Bn | 22.04 Bn | - |
| 4 | Canadian Pacific Kansas City | 81.54 Bn | 81.26 Bn | 57.15 Mn | 0.25 |
| 5 | Fedex | 75.60 Bn | 41.80 Bn | 18.84 Bn | - |
| 6 | Norfolk Southern | 73.66 Bn | 68.13 Bn | - | 0.41 |
| 7 | Delta Air Lines | 60.67 Bn | 42.86 Bn | - | - |
| 8 | United Airlines Holdings | 39.17 Bn | -18.53 Bn | - | - |
| 9 | Old Dominion Freight Line | 34.72 Bn | 33.56 Bn | 1.56 Bn | - |
| 10 | Ryanair Holdings | 31.95 Bn | 16.22 Bn | - | - |
Historic Data
| Date | Value |
|---|---|
| Sep 30, 2026 | 0.41 |
| Jun 30, 2026 | 0.49 |
| Dec 31, 2025 | 0.91 |
| Sep 30, 2025 | 0.42 |
| Jun 30, 2025 | 0.50 |
| Mar 31, 2025 | 0.61 |
| Dec 31, 2024 | 1.11 |
| Sep 30, 2024 | 0.47 |
| Jun 30, 2024 | 0.65 |
| Sep 30, 2023 | 2.72 |
| Jun 30, 2023 | 2.01 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | 0.41 |
| Dec 31, 2022 | 2.17 |
| Sep 30, 2022 | 0.30 |
| Jun 30, 2022 | 0.52 |
| Mar 31, 2022 | 0.49 |
| Dec 31, 2021 | 0.53 |
| Sep 30, 2021 | 0.33 |
| Jun 30, 2021 | 0.34 |
| Mar 31, 2021 | 0.33 |
Norfolk Southern FCF Payout Ratio API
Pull this series into your own models, spreadsheets and apps with the Business Quant
Historical Metrics API. The request below matches the chart above — change the
frequency, period or values and it follows. Swap YOUR_API_KEY for your own key.
https://data.businessquant.com/historic?slug=fcf-payout-ratio&ticker=NSC&period=max&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY
import requests
url = "https://data.businessquant.com/historic"
params = {"slug": "fcf-payout-ratio", "ticker": "NSC", "period": "max", "api_key": "YOUR_API_KEY"}
data = requests.get(url, params=params).json()
const res = await fetch("https://data.businessquant.com/historic?slug=fcf-payout-ratio&ticker=NSC&period=max&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY");
const data = await res.json();