Norfolk Southern (NSC) Return on Sales [ROS] (2009 - 2026)
Norfolk Southern (NSC) recorded Return on Sales [ROS] of 32.61% in Q3 2026, down 2.77 percentage points from 35.39% a year earlier but up 0.18 percentage points from the prior quarter.
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Analysis
Norfolk Southern (NSC) Return on Sales [ROS] (2009 - 2026) Analysis & Trends
On a TTM basis, Norfolk Southern's Return on Sales [ROS] came in at 31.54% as of Sep 30, 2026, down 5.67 percentage points year-over-year; for FY2025, it was 35.76%, up 2.18 percentage points from FY2024.
- Annual Return on Sales [ROS] has a five-year change of +5.10 percentage points (FY2020 to FY2025).
- Across earlier years, Return on Sales [ROS] came in at 33.58% in FY2024 (+10.13 pp), 23.45% in FY2023 (-14.28 pp), 37.73% in FY2022 (-2.18 pp) and 39.91% in FY2021 (+9.24 pp).
- Quarterly Return on Sales [ROS] has ranged from 7.09% in Q1 2024 to 52.31% in Q3 2024 over the past five years.
- On a year-over-year basis, Return on Sales [ROS] has declined for five consecutive quarters, with an average year-over-year change of +0.37 percentage points over the last eight quarters.
- Peak year-over-year performance for Return on Sales [ROS] in the last five years was a gain of 31.20 percentage points in Q1 2025, against a drop of 19.78 percentage points in Q2 2023 at the low end.
- Per Business Quant, the preceding three quarters came in at 32.44% (Q2 2026), 29.25% (Q1 2026) and 31.51% (Q4 2025).
Peer Set
Peer Comparison
| # | Company | Market Cap | Enterprise Value | Gross Profit (Qtr) | ROS (Qtr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Union Pacific | 178.63 Bn | 170.88 Bn | - | 40.89% |
| 2 | Csx | 94.16 Bn | 89.39 Bn | - | 39.08% |
| 3 | United Parcel Service | 83.47 Bn | 60.32 Bn | 22.04 Bn | 7.63% |
| 4 | Canadian Pacific Kansas City | 81.54 Bn | 81.26 Bn | 57.15 Mn | 35.25% |
| 5 | Fedex | 75.60 Bn | 41.80 Bn | 18.84 Bn | 6.20% |
| 6 | Norfolk Southern | 73.66 Bn | 68.13 Bn | - | 32.61% |
| 7 | Delta Air Lines | 60.67 Bn | 42.86 Bn | - | 7.20% |
| 8 | United Airlines Holdings | 39.17 Bn | -18.53 Bn | - | 8.09% |
| 9 | Old Dominion Freight Line | 34.72 Bn | 33.56 Bn | 1.56 Bn | 28.46% |
| 10 | Ryanair Holdings | 31.95 Bn | 16.22 Bn | - | 31.94% |
Historic Data
Download Data
Historic Data
| Date | Value |
|---|---|
| Sep 30, 2026 | 32.61% |
| Jun 30, 2026 | 32.44% |
| Mar 31, 2026 | 29.25% |
| Dec 31, 2025 | 31.51% |
| Sep 30, 2025 | 35.39% |
| Jun 30, 2025 | 37.78% |
| Mar 31, 2025 | 38.29% |
| Dec 31, 2024 | 37.40% |
| Sep 30, 2024 | 52.31% |
| Jun 30, 2024 | 37.16% |
| Mar 31, 2024 | 7.09% |
| Dec 31, 2023 | 26.29% |
| Sep 30, 2023 | 25.45% |
| Jun 30, 2023 | 19.33% |
| Mar 31, 2023 | 22.70% |
| Dec 31, 2022 | 36.48% |
| Sep 30, 2022 | 38.05% |
| Jun 30, 2022 | 39.11% |
| Mar 31, 2022 | 37.22% |
| Dec 31, 2021 | 39.59% |
API Access
Norfolk Southern Return on Sales [ROS] 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=return-on-sales-%5Bros%5D&ticker=NSC&period=max&api_key=YOUR_API_KEYimport requests
url = "https://data.businessquant.com/historic"
params = {"slug": "return-on-sales-[ros]", "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=return-on-sales-%5Bros%5D&ticker=NSC&period=max&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY");
const data = await res.json();