Equity

Retained Earnings

Norfolk Southern Retained Earnings increased by 1.8% to $13.48B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 9.6%, from $12.30B to $13.48B. Over 5 years (FY 2020 to FY 2025), Retained Earnings shows relatively stable performance with a 0.5% CAGR. This is a positive signal — higher values indicate stronger performance for this metric.

Analysis

StatementBalance Sheet Statement
SectionEquity
CategoryCapital Allocation
SignalHigher is better
VolatilityStable
First reportedQ4 2014
Last reportedQ1 2026

How to read this metric

Consistent growth in retained earnings signals a profitable business model that can sustain itself without constant external capital raises.

Detailed definition

The cumulative amount of net income that has been reinvested in the business rather than distributed to shareholders as...

Peer comparison

Mature, highly profitable companies like Apple may actually see this decrease if they return more cash to shareholders via buybacks than they earn in net income.

Metric ID: retained_earnings

Historical Data

20 periods
 Q2 '21Q3 '21Q4 '21Q1 '22Q2 '22Q3 '22Q4 '22Q1 '23Q2 '23Q3 '23Q4 '23Q1 '24Q2 '24Q3 '24Q4 '24Q1 '25Q2 '25Q3 '25Q4 '25Q1 '26
Value$12.41B$11.99B$11.59B$11.41B$11.12B$10.99B$10.70B$10.70B$10.61B$10.59B$10.70B$10.44B$10.87B$11.67B$12.09B$12.30B$12.56B$12.89B$13.24B$13.48B
QoQ Change-3.4%-3.4%-1.5%-2.6%-1.2%-2.6%+0.0%-0.8%-0.2%+1.0%-2.4%+4.1%+7.3%+3.7%+1.7%+2.2%+2.6%+2.6%+1.8%
YoY Change-10.4%-8.4%-7.7%-6.3%-4.5%-3.6%-0.0%-2.4%+2.5%+10.2%+13.1%+17.7%+15.5%+10.5%+9.4%+9.6%
Range$10.44B$13.48B
CAGR+1.8%
Avg YoY Growth+2.8%
Median YoY Growth+1.2%
Current Streak8 quarters growth

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Norfolk Southern's retained earnings?
Norfolk Southern (NSC) reported retained earnings of $13.48B in Q1 2026.
How has Norfolk Southern's retained earnings changed year-over-year?
Norfolk Southern's retained earnings increased by 9.6% year-over-year, from $12.30B to $13.48B.
What is the long-term trend for Norfolk Southern's retained earnings?
Over 5 years (2020 to 2025), Norfolk Southern's retained earnings has grown at a 0.5% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $12.88B to $13.24B.
What does retained earnings mean?
The total profits the company has kept and reinvested since it started, after paying out any dividends.