Norfolk Southern Corp. NSC, -0.78% reported Wednesday fourth-quarter profit and revenue that topped Wall Street estimates, as the company's railroad operating ratio improved. The stock was still inactive in premarket trading. Net income rose to $760 million, or $3.12 a share, from $671 million, or $2.64 a share, in the year-ago period. The FactSet consensus for earnings per share was $3.04. Total railway revenue increased 10.8% to $2.85 billion, topping the FactSet consensus of $2.83 billion, as intermodal and coal revenue beat expectations while merchandise revenue was in line. Revenue growth outpaced the 8.4% rise in operating expenses to $1.72 billion, which included a 2% increase in compensation and benefits expense. Railway operating ratio improved to a fourth-quarter record of 60.4% from 61.8%. The stock has lost 4.2% over the past three months, while the Dow Jones Transportation Average DJT, 0.60% has declined 4.7% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, 0.74% has slipped 4.1%.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/norfolk-southern-earnings-beat-expectations-as-revenue-growth-outpaces-rise-in-expenses-2022-01-26