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Side-by-side financial comparison of CSX Corporation (CSX) and Norfolk Southern (NSC), based on the latest 10-Q / 10-K filings. Click either name above to swap in a different company.
CSX Corporation is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($3.5B vs $3.0B, roughly 1.2× Norfolk Southern). Norfolk Southern runs the higher net margin — 20.5% vs 21.7%, a 1.1% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, CSX Corporation posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (-0.9% vs -1.7%). CSX Corporation produced more free cash flow last quarter ($709.0M vs $334.0M). Over the past eight quarters, Norfolk Southern's revenue compounded faster (-0.5% CAGR vs -2.4%).
CSX Transportation, known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles (34,000 km) of track, it is the leading subsidiary of CSX Corporation, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida.
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The company operates 19,420 route miles (31,250 km) in 22 eastern states and the District of Columbia, and has rights in Canada over the Albany to Montreal route of the Canadian Pacific Kansas City.
CSX vs NSC — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q4 2025 vs Q4 2025
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $3.5B | $3.0B |
| Net Profit | $720.0M | $644.0M |
| Gross Margin | — | — |
| Operating Margin | 31.6% | 31.5% |
| Net Margin | 20.5% | 21.7% |
| Revenue YoY | -0.9% | -1.7% |
| Net Profit YoY | 0.0% | -12.1% |
| EPS (diluted) | $0.39 | $2.87 |
Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align — see 8-quarter trend below.
8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend
Side-by-side quarterly history — bar widths are scaled to the larger of the two companies so you can eyeball the size gap and growth trajectory without doing math. Quarters aligned by calendar period (report date) so offset fiscal years line up.
| Q4 25 | $3.5B | $3.0B | ||
| Q3 25 | $3.6B | $3.1B | ||
| Q2 25 | $3.6B | $3.1B | ||
| Q1 25 | $3.4B | $3.0B | ||
| Q4 24 | $3.5B | $3.0B | ||
| Q3 24 | $3.6B | $3.1B | ||
| Q2 24 | $3.7B | $3.0B | ||
| Q1 24 | $3.7B | $3.0B |
| Q4 25 | $720.0M | $644.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $694.0M | $711.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $829.0M | $768.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $646.0M | $750.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $720.0M | $733.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $894.0M | $1.1B | ||
| Q2 24 | $963.0M | $737.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | $893.0M | $53.0M |
| Q4 25 | 31.6% | 31.5% | ||
| Q3 25 | 30.3% | 35.4% | ||
| Q2 25 | 35.9% | 37.8% | ||
| Q1 25 | 30.4% | 38.3% | ||
| Q4 24 | 30.8% | 37.4% | ||
| Q3 24 | 37.4% | 52.3% | ||
| Q2 24 | 39.1% | 37.2% | ||
| Q1 24 | 36.8% | 7.1% |
| Q4 25 | 20.5% | 21.7% | ||
| Q3 25 | 19.3% | 22.9% | ||
| Q2 25 | 23.2% | 24.7% | ||
| Q1 25 | 18.9% | 25.1% | ||
| Q4 24 | 20.3% | 24.2% | ||
| Q3 24 | 24.7% | 36.0% | ||
| Q2 24 | 26.0% | 24.2% | ||
| Q1 24 | 24.3% | 1.8% |
| Q4 25 | $0.39 | $2.87 | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.37 | $3.16 | ||
| Q2 25 | $0.44 | $3.41 | ||
| Q1 25 | $0.34 | $3.31 | ||
| Q4 24 | $0.38 | $3.24 | ||
| Q3 24 | $0.46 | $4.85 | ||
| Q2 24 | $0.49 | $3.25 | ||
| Q1 24 | $0.46 | $0.23 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest filing — the kind of financial-strength check premium terminals charge for.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $5.0M | $1.5B |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $18.2B | $16.5B |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $13.2B | $15.5B |
| Total Assets | $43.7B | $45.2B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 1.38× | 1.06× |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years match up.
| Q4 25 | $5.0M | $1.5B | ||
| Q3 25 | $6.0M | $1.4B | ||
| Q2 25 | $6.0M | $1.3B | ||
| Q1 25 | $8.0M | $1.0B | ||
| Q4 24 | $72.0M | $1.6B | ||
| Q3 24 | $12.0M | $975.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $4.0M | $659.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | $2.0M | $652.0M |
| Q4 25 | $18.2B | $16.5B | ||
| Q3 25 | $18.6B | $16.5B | ||
| Q2 25 | $18.6B | $16.5B | ||
| Q1 25 | $18.5B | $16.7B | ||
| Q4 24 | $17.9B | $16.7B | ||
| Q3 24 | $18.5B | $16.6B | ||
| Q2 24 | $18.0B | $16.9B | ||
| Q1 24 | $17.9B | $17.2B |
| Q4 25 | $13.2B | $15.5B | ||
| Q3 25 | $12.8B | $15.1B | ||
| Q2 25 | $12.4B | $14.8B | ||
| Q1 25 | $12.2B | $14.5B | ||
| Q4 24 | $12.5B | $14.3B | ||
| Q3 24 | $12.9B | $13.8B | ||
| Q2 24 | $12.6B | $13.0B | ||
| Q1 24 | $12.6B | $12.5B |
| Q4 25 | $43.7B | $45.2B | ||
| Q3 25 | $43.3B | $44.6B | ||
| Q2 25 | $42.9B | $44.2B | ||
| Q1 25 | $43.2B | $43.8B | ||
| Q4 24 | $42.8B | $43.7B | ||
| Q3 24 | $43.1B | $43.3B | ||
| Q2 24 | $42.4B | $42.6B | ||
| Q1 24 | $42.7B | $42.1B |
| Q4 25 | 1.38× | 1.06× | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.45× | 1.09× | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.50× | 1.11× | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.52× | 1.15× | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.43× | 1.16× | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.43× | 1.21× | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.42× | 1.30× | ||
| Q1 24 | 1.42× | 1.37× |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Net income can be massaged; cash flow is harder to fake.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | $1.4B | $1.1B |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $709.0M | $334.0M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 20.2% | 11.2% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue; lower = less reinvestment burden | 19.3% | 24.5% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit; >1× = earnings back up with cash | 1.93× | 1.65× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $1.7B | $2.2B |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years match up.
| Q4 25 | $1.4B | $1.1B | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.3B | $1.3B | ||
| Q2 25 | $635.0M | $1.1B | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.3B | $950.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.4B | $951.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.7B | $1.2B | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.1B | $1.0B | ||
| Q1 24 | $1.1B | $839.0M |
| Q4 25 | $709.0M | $334.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $607.0M | $720.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $-141.0M | $602.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $536.0M | $501.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $550.0M | $276.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.1B | $645.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $547.0M | $468.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | $560.0M | $282.0M |
| Q4 25 | 20.2% | 11.2% | ||
| Q3 25 | 16.9% | 23.2% | ||
| Q2 25 | -3.9% | 19.4% | ||
| Q1 25 | 15.7% | 16.7% | ||
| Q4 24 | 15.5% | 9.1% | ||
| Q3 24 | 29.3% | 21.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | 14.8% | 15.4% | ||
| Q1 24 | 15.2% | 9.4% |
| Q4 25 | 19.3% | 24.5% | ||
| Q3 25 | 20.4% | 17.8% | ||
| Q2 25 | 21.7% | 15.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | 21.0% | 15.0% | ||
| Q4 24 | 23.7% | 22.3% | ||
| Q3 24 | 17.3% | 19.0% | ||
| Q2 24 | 14.6% | 18.7% | ||
| Q1 24 | 14.2% | 18.5% |
| Q4 25 | 1.93× | 1.65× | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.93× | 1.79× | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.77× | 1.40× | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.94× | 1.27× | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.93× | 1.30× | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.89× | 1.12× | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.13× | 1.41× | ||
| Q1 24 | 1.21× | 15.83× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Sankey diagram of revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company. Charts shown full-width and stacked so both segment hierarchies are readable side-by-side on desktop and mobile.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
CSX
| Total Merchandise | $2.2B | 62% |
| Automotive | $285.0M | 8% |
| Metalsand Equipment | $212.0M | 6% |
| Minerals | $207.0M | 6% |
| Trucking Segment | $198.0M | 6% |
| Trucking | $196.0M | 6% |
| Fertilizers | $133.0M | 4% |
| Other Services | $122.0M | 3% |
NSC
| Railway Operating Revenues Market Group Merchandise | $1.9B | 63% |
| Metals And Construction | $404.0M | 14% |
| Railway Operating Revenues Market Group Coal | $347.0M | 12% |
| Automotive | $293.0M | 10% |
