Norfolk Southern (NSC) Q4 FY2023 earnings: revenue $3.1 billion, down 5.1% on the year
Norfolk Southern Corp. (NSC) reported revenue of $3.1 billion for Q4 FY2023, the quarter ended 31 December 2023, down 5.1% on the same quarter a year earlier. Net income was $527 million, down 33.3% on the year, and diluted earnings per share $2.32. The figures are the company's own, from the 10-K it filed with the SEC on 5 February 2024.
this quarterthe same quarter a year earlierHover a bar for its figure.
Income statement (profit and loss)
| $ million | Q4 FY2023 | Q3 FY2023 | Q4 FY2022 | On the quarter | On the year | Last 8 quarters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 3,073 | 2,971 | 3,237 | +3.4% | -5.1% | |
| Operating income | 808 | 756 | 1,181 | +6.9% | -31.6% | |
| Operating margin | 26.3% | 25.4% | 36.5% | |||
| Interest expense | 195 | 182 | 177 | +7.1% | +10.2% | |
| Pre-tax income | 651 | 614 | 1,038 | +6.0% | -37.3% | |
| Income tax | 124 | 136 | 248 | -8.8% | -50.0% | |
| Effective tax rate | 19.0% | 22.1% | 23.9% | |||
| Net income | 527 | 478 | 790 | +10.3% | -33.3% | |
| Net margin | 17.1% | 16.1% | 24.4% | |||
| Diluted EPS | $2.32 | $2.10 | $3.40 | +10.5% | -31.8% |
$ million except per share.
Read more
Fourth quarters are the year less the first three quarters. Free cash flow is operating cash flow less capital expenditure; the effective tax rate is income tax over pre-tax income; margins are the line over revenue. Gross profit is revenue less cost of revenue, and operating income is revenue less the company's own total costs, where the statement does not print those lines. Those four are arithmetic on the filed numbers; everything else is as filed. Money is in $ million as the company files it, or in $ billion by the switch above the tables; per share figures and share counts are as they are.Cash flow
| $ million | Q4 FY2023 | Q3 FY2023 | Q4 FY2022 | On the quarter | On the year | Last 8 quarters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating cash flow | 673 | 660 | 798 | +2.0% | -15.7% | |
| Capital expenditure | 853 | 548 | 666 | +55.7% | +28.1% | |
| Free cash flow | -180 | 112 | 132 | |||
| Free cash flow margin | -5.9% | 3.8% | 4.1% | |||
| Cash from investing | -788 | -653 | -543 | |||
| Cash from financing | 177 | 943 | -1,013 | -81.2% | ||
| Depreciation and amortisation | 330 | 326 | 309 | +1.2% | +6.8% | |
| Share-based compensation | 8.0 | 10.0 | 4.0 | -20.0% | +100.0% | |
| Buybacks | 119 | 200 | 826 | -40.5% | -85.6% | |
| Dividends paid | 305 | 305 | 286 | 0.0% | +6.6% | |
| Dividend per share | n/a | $1.35 | n/a | |||
| Diluted shares, weighted | 227m | 227m | 236m | +0.2% | -3.5% | |
| Shares outstanding at period end | 226m | 226m | 228m | -0.2% | -1.1% |
Cash flow lines for the quarter; where the company files them year to date, the quarter is the difference between two filings.
Balance sheet
| $ million | Q4 FY2023 | Q3 FY2023 | Q4 FY2022 | On the quarter | On the year | Last 8 quarters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shareholders' equity | 12,781 | 12,615 | 12,733 | +1.3% | +0.4% | |
| Short-term borrowings | 0.0 | n/a | n/a | |||
| Debt | 17,175 | 16,584 | 15,182 | +3.6% | +13.1% | |
| Operating lease liabilities | 287 | n/a | 316 | -9.2% | ||
| Other liabilities | 11,409 | 11,540 | 10,654 | -1.1% | +7.1% | |
| Total liabilities and equity | 41,652 | 40,739 | 38,885 | +2.2% | +7.1% | |
| Fixed assets | 33,326 | 32,668 | 32,156 | +2.0% | +3.6% | |
| Investments | 3,839 | 3,824 | 3,694 | +0.4% | +3.9% | |
| Cash and equivalents | 1,568 | 1,506 | 456 | +4.1% | +243.9% | |
| Receivables | 1,147 | 1,210 | 1,148 | -5.2% | -0.1% | |
| Other assets | 1,772 | 1,531 | 1,431 | +15.7% | +23.8% | |
| Total assets | 41,652 | 40,739 | 38,885 | +2.2% | +7.1% |
Questions
What was Norfolk Southern's revenue in Q4 FY2023?
Norfolk Southern (NSC) reported revenue of $3.1 billion for Q4 FY2023, the quarter ended 31 December 2023, down 5.1% on the same quarter a year earlier.
How much did Norfolk Southern earn in Q4 FY2023?
Net income for Q4 FY2023 was $527 million, down 33.3% on the year, and diluted earnings per share $2.32.
When did Norfolk Southern report Q4 FY2023 results?
Norfolk Southern filed its 10-K for the year that ended with the quarter on 5 February 2024; the fourth quarter is the year less the first three.
Quarterly results, the last 20 quarters
| Q4 FY2021 * | Q1 FY2022 | Q2 FY2022 | Q3 FY2022 | Q4 FY2022 * | Q1 FY2023 | Q2 FY2023 | Q3 FY2023 | Q4 FY2023 * | Q1 FY2024 | Q2 FY2024 | Q3 FY2024 | Q4 FY2024 * | Q1 FY2025 | Q2 FY2025 | Q3 FY2025 | Q4 FY2025 * | Q1 FY2026 | Q2 FY2026 | Q3 FY2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 2,852 | 2,915 | 3,250 | 3,343 | 3,237 | 3,132 | 2,980 | 2,971 | 3,073 | 3,004 | 3,044 | 3,051 | 3,024 | 2,993 | 3,110 | 3,103 | 2,974 | 2,998 | 3,465 | 3,526 |
| Operating income | 1,129 | 1,085 | 1,271 | 1,272 | 1,181 | 711 | 576 | 756 | 808 | 213 | 1,131 | 1,596 | 1,131 | 1,146 | 1,175 | 1,098 | 937 | 877 | 1,124 | 1,150 |
| Operating margin | 40% | 37% | 39% | 38% | 36% | 23% | 19% | 25% | 26% | 7% | 37% | 52% | 37% | 38% | 38% | 35% | 32% | 29% | 32% | 33% |
| Interest expense | 165 | 168 | 170 | 177 | 177 | 175 | 170 | 182 | 195 | 201 | 204 | 203 | 199 | 199 | 201 | 197 | 195 | 197 | 197 | 193 |
| Pre-tax income | 985 | 912 | 1,087 | 1,093 | 1,038 | 592 | 463 | 614 | 651 | 30.0 | 944 | 1,427 | 928 | 978 | 998 | 924 | 765 | 715 | 959 | 987 |
| Tax rate | 23% | 23% | 25% | 12% | 24% | 21% | 23% | 22% | 19% | -77% | 22% | 23% | 21% | 23% | 23% | 23% | 16% | 23% | 23% | 23% |
| Net income | 760 | 703 | 819 | 958 | 790 | 466 | 356 | 478 | 527 | 53.0 | 737 | 1,099 | 733 | 750 | 768 | 711 | 644 | 547 | 734 | 759 |
| Net margin | 27% | 24% | 25% | 29% | 24% | 15% | 12% | 16% | 17% | 2% | 24% | 36% | 24% | 25% | 25% | 23% | 22% | 18% | 21% | 22% |
| Diluted EPS | $3.11 | $2.93 | $3.45 | $4.10 | $3.40 | $2.04 | $1.56 | $2.10 | $2.32 | $0.23 | $3.25 | $4.85 | $3.24 | $3.31 | $3.41 | $3.16 | $2.87 | $2.43 | $3.26 | $3.37 |
| Operating cash flow | 942 | 994 | 1,017 | 1,413 | 798 | 1,173 | 673 | 660 | 673 | 839 | 1,036 | 1,226 | 951 | 950 | 1,077 | 1,271 | 1,063 | 344 | 1,054 | 1,322 |
| Capital expenditure | 445 | 389 | 448 | 445 | 666 | 428 | 520 | 548 | 853 | 557 | 568 | 581 | 675 | 449 | 475 | 551 | 729 | 382 | 439 | 586 |
| Free cash flow | 497 | 605 | 569 | 968 | 132 | 745 | 153 | 112 | -180 | 282 | 468 | 645 | 276 | 501 | 602 | 720 | 334 | -38.0 | 615 | 736 |
| Buybacks | 930 | 600 | 854 | 830 | 826 | 163 | 140 | 200 | 119 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 248 | 208 | 78.0 | 0.0 | 5.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Dividends paid | 264 | 297 | 294 | 290 | 286 | 307 | 308 | 305 | 305 | 305 | 305 | 305 | 306 | 306 | 303 | 303 | 303 | 303 | 303 | 304 |
| Shares outstanding | 240m | 238m | 235m | 232m | 228m | 228m | 227m | 226m | 226m | 226m | 226m | 226m | 226m | 225m | 225m | 224m | 224m | 225m | 225m | 225m |
| Filing | 10-K | 10-Q | 10-Q | 10-Q | 10-K | 10-Q | 10-Q | 10-Q | 10-K | 10-Q | 10-Q | 10-Q | 10-K | 10-Q | 10-Q | 10-Q | 10-K | 10-Q | 10-Q | 10-Q |
Each quarter as filed, linked to its filing.
Read more
* The fourth quarter is the full year less the first three quarters, because the company files the year and not the quarter on its own. A fourth quarter's EPS, and its diluted share count where shown, are from the company's results press release for that quarter, checked against the company's filed figures or a second data source. Money is in $ million as the company files it, or in $ billion by the switch above the tables; per share figures and the share count are as they are. Free cash flow is operating cash flow less capital expenditure; the effective tax rate is income tax over pre-tax income; margins are the line over revenue. Gross profit is revenue less cost of revenue, and operating income is revenue less the company's own total costs, where the statement does not print those lines. Cash flow lines filed year to date are the difference between two filings. Shares outstanding are at the period end where the balance sheet tags them, otherwise the count on the filing's cover page. A derived fourth-quarter EPS is left blank when a split in the year makes the arithmetic meaningless.10-K for the period ended 31 December 2023, filed 5 February 2024: the filing.