Norfolk Southern (NSC) Return on Capital Employed (2009 - 2026)
Norfolk Southern (NSC) reported Return on Capital Employed of 9.77% for Q1 2026, down 265.0% year-over-year from 5.92% in Q1 2025, and down 7.76% on a QoQ basis from 10.59% in Q4 2025.
Norfolk Southern (NSC) has 18 years of Return on Capital Employed data on file, last reported at 9.77% in Q1 2026.
- Quarterly Return on Capital Employed fell 265.0% year-over-year to 9.77% in Q1 2026, while the trailing twelve-month figure through Mar 2026 was 9.77% (down 265.0% YoY) and the FY2025 annual result came in at 10.71%, up 30.0% from the prior year.
- Return on Capital Employed eased to 9.77% in Q1 2026 per NSC's latest filing, from 10.59% in the prior quarter.
- Across five years, Return on Capital Employed topped out at 13.19% in Q4 2022 and bottomed at 6.12% in Q1 2024.
- The 5-year median for Return on Capital Employed is 10.59% (2025), against an average of 10.58%.
- The widest annual swing landed in 2024, when Return on Capital Employed slumped 613 bps; it then soared 630 bps in 2025.
- Tracing NSC's Return on Capital Employed over 5 years: stood at 13.19% in 2022, then sank by 44 bps to 7.39% in 2023, then soared by 38 bps to 10.2% in 2024, then advanced by 4 bps to 10.59% in 2025, then slipped by 8 bps to 9.77% in 2026.
- Per Business Quant, the three latest NSC Return on Capital Employed figures stand at 9.77% (Q1 2026), 10.59% (Q4 2025), and 11.14% (Q3 2025).
Peer Comparison
| # | Company | Market Cap | Enterprise Value | Gross Profit (Qtr) | ROCE (Qtr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Union Pacific | 155.75 Bn | 154.71 Bn | 5.85 Bn | 15.27% |
| 2 | Csx | 84.18 Bn | 83.08 Bn | 3.18 Bn | 11.62% |
| 3 | Norfolk Southern | 68.46 Bn | 67.12 Bn | 2.74 Bn | 9.77% |
| 4 | Canadian Pacific Kansas City | 58.41 Bn | 58.81 Bn | 2.36 Bn | 6.79% |
| 5 | Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies | 44.40 Bn | 43.91 Bn | 1.06 Bn | 10.93% |
| 6 | Trinity Industries | 2.59 Bn | 2.65 Bn | 128.90 Mn | - |
| 7 | Greenbrier Companies | 1.46 Bn | 968.55 Mn | 69.50 Mn | - |
| 8 | Foster L B | 419.50 Mn | 416.39 Mn | 25.70 Mn | 9.98% |
| 9 | FreightCar America | 145.10 Mn | 80.80 Mn | - | - |
| 10 | Swvl Holdings | 18.35 Mn | 13.93 Mn | - | -118.90% |
Historic Data
Download Data| Date | Value |
|---|---|
| Mar 31, 2026 | 9.77% |
| Dec 31, 2025 | 10.59% |
| Sep 30, 2025 | 11.14% |
| Jun 30, 2025 | 12.52% |
| Mar 31, 2025 | 12.42% |
| Dec 31, 2024 | 10.20% |
| Sep 30, 2024 | 9.55% |
| Jun 30, 2024 | 7.52% |
| Mar 31, 2024 | 6.12% |
| Dec 31, 2023 | 7.39% |
| Sep 30, 2023 | 8.69% |
| Jun 30, 2023 | 10.32% |
| Mar 31, 2023 | 12.25% |
| Dec 31, 2022 | 13.19% |
| Sep 30, 2022 | 13.02% |
| Jun 30, 2022 | 12.58% |
| Mar 31, 2022 | 12.62% |
| Dec 31, 2021 | 12.34% |
| Sep 30, 2021 | 11.86% |
| Jun 30, 2021 | 11.27% |
| Mar 31, 2021 | 9.66% |
| Dec 31, 2020 | 8.36% |
| Sep 30, 2020 | 8.26% |
| Jun 30, 2020 | 8.77% |
| Mar 31, 2020 | 10.13% |
| Dec 31, 2019 | 11.26% |
| Sep 30, 2019 | 11.87% |
| Jun 30, 2019 | 11.91% |
| Mar 31, 2019 | 12.11% |
| Dec 31, 2018 | 11.75% |
| Sep 30, 2018 | 11.54% |
| Jun 30, 2018 | 11.16% |
| Mar 31, 2018 | 10.73% |
| Dec 31, 2017 | 10.71% |
| Sep 30, 2017 | 10.07% |
| Jun 30, 2017 | 9.82% |
| Mar 31, 2017 | 9.54% |
| Dec 31, 2016 | 9.48% |
| Sep 30, 2016 | 9.16% |
| Jun 30, 2016 | 9.25% |
| Mar 31, 2016 | 9.34% |
| Dec 31, 2015 | 9.13% |
| Sep 30, 2015 | 10.09% |
| Jun 30, 2015 | 10.73% |
| Mar 31, 2015 | 11.38% |
| Dec 31, 2014 | 11.38% |
| Sep 30, 2014 | 11.48% |
| Jun 30, 2014 | 11.20% |
| Mar 31, 2014 | 10.68% |
| Dec 31, 2013 | 11.00% |
| Sep 30, 2013 | 10.78% |
| Jun 30, 2013 | 10.32% |
| Mar 31, 2013 | 10.75% |
| Dec 31, 2012 | 11.15% |
| Sep 30, 2012 | 11.59% |
| Jun 30, 2012 | 12.42% |
| Mar 31, 2012 | 12.43% |
| Dec 31, 2011 | 12.02% |
| Sep 30, 2011 | 11.55% |
| Jun 30, 2011 | 10.87% |
| Mar 31, 2011 | 10.31% |
| Dec 31, 2010 | 10.27% |
| Sep 30, 2010 | 9.98% |
| Jun 30, 2010 | 9.32% |
| Mar 31, 2010 | 8.42% |
| Dec 31, 2009 | 7.71% |
| Sep 30, 2009 | 0.42% |