Free cash flow
Norfolk Southern Free cash flow decreased by 111.4% to -$38.00M in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric declined by 107.6%, from $501.00M to -$38.00M. Over 3 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows a downward trend with a -8.2% CAGR. This decline may warrant attention — for this metric, higher values are generally preferred.
Analysis
How to read this metric
An increase suggests strong operational efficiency and the ability to self-fund future innovation or return capital to shareholders, while a decrease may indicate heavy capital expenditure cycles or declining operational profitability.
Detailed definition
Free cash flow represents the cash generated by a company after accounting for cash outflows to support operations and m...
Peer comparison
High-growth semiconductor and AI infrastructure peers typically prioritize reinvestment, so free cash flow margins are often compared against R&D intensity and capital expenditure requirements of industry rivals.
free_cash_flowHistorical Data
| Q2 '21 | Q3 '21 | Q4 '21 | Q1 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q3 '22 | Q4 '22 | Q1 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q1 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q4 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q4 '25 | Q1 '26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $720.00M | $818.00M | $497.00M | $605.00M | $569.00M | $968.00M | $132.00M | $745.00M | $153.00M | $112.00M | $282.00M | $468.00M | $645.00M | $276.00M | $501.00M | $602.00M | $720.00M | $334.00M | -$38.00M |
| QoQ Change | — | +13.6% | -39.2% | +21.7% | -6.0% | +70.1% | -86.4% | +464.4% | -79.5% | -26.8% | +151.8% | +66.0% | +37.8% | -57.2% | +81.5% | +20.2% | +19.6% | -53.6% | -111.4% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | -21.0% | +18.3% | -73.4% | +23.1% | -73.1% | -88.4% | -62.1% | +205.9% | +475.9% | — | +77.7% | +28.6% | +11.6% | +21.0% | -107.6% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Norfolk Southern's free cash flow?
- Norfolk Southern (NSC) reported free cash flow of -$38.00M in Q1 2026.
- How has Norfolk Southern's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Norfolk Southern's free cash flow decreased by 107.6% year-over-year, from $501.00M to -$38.00M.
- What is the long-term trend for Norfolk Southern's free cash flow?
- Over 3 years (2021 to 2025), Norfolk Southern's free cash flow has grown at a -8.2% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $2.79B to $2.16B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.