Operating Cash Flow
Norfolk Southern Operating Cash Flow decreased by 67.6% to $344.00M in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric declined by 63.8%, from $950.00M to $344.00M. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Operating Cash Flow shows relatively stable performance with a 0.6% CAGR. This decline may warrant attention — for this metric, higher values are generally preferred.
Analysis
How to read this metric
Consistently high operating cash flow indicates a healthy, self-sustaining business capable of funding its own growth and returning capital to shareholders.
Detailed definition
Net cash from operating activities measures the total amount of cash generated by a company's core business operations....
Peer comparison
Investors often compare this to capital expenditures to calculate Free Cash Flow, a primary valuation metric for mature tech giants.
net_cash_from_operatingHistorical Data
| Q2 '21 | Q3 '21 | Q4 '21 | Q1 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q3 '22 | Q4 '22 | Q1 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q4 '23 | Q1 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q4 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q4 '25 | Q1 '26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $1.08B | $1.22B | $942.00M | $994.00M | $1.02B | $1.41B | $798.00M | $1.17B | $673.00M | $660.00M | $673.00M | $839.00M | $1.04B | $1.23B | $951.00M | $950.00M | $1.08B | $1.27B | $1.06B | $344.00M |
| QoQ Change | — | +12.4% | -22.5% | +5.5% | +2.3% | +38.9% | -43.5% | +47.0% | -42.6% | -1.9% | +2.0% | +24.7% | +23.5% | +18.3% | -22.4% | -0.1% | +13.4% | +18.0% | -16.4% | -67.6% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | -6.0% | +16.2% | -15.3% | +18.0% | -33.8% | -53.3% | -15.7% | -28.5% | +53.9% | +85.8% | +41.3% | +13.2% | +4.0% | +3.7% | +11.8% | -63.8% |
Operating Cash Flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Norfolk Southern's operating cash flow?
- Norfolk Southern (NSC) reported operating cash flow of $344.00M in Q1 2026.
- How has Norfolk Southern's operating cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Norfolk Southern's operating cash flow decreased by 63.8% year-over-year, from $950.00M to $344.00M.
- What is the long-term trend for Norfolk Southern's operating cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Norfolk Southern's operating cash flow has grown at a 0.6% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $4.26B to $4.36B.
- What does operating cash flow mean?
- The actual amount of cash a company brings in from its day-to-day business activities.