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Data last updated: Sep 06, 2026
Snapshot (as of Sep 06, 2026): Norfolk Southern Corporation (NSC) pays a $5.40 annual dividend ($1.35 quarterly), yielding 1.64% at $329.46/share. Next ex-dividend date 2026-08-07. 9 consecutive years of dividend growth. Source: Yahoo Finance, aggregated by MerryDiv.
Dividend Yield: 1.64%
Annual Dividend: $5.40 per share
Payout Ratio: 46.0%
Ex-Dividend Date: 2026-08-07
Dividend Frequency: quarterly
Sector: Industrials
Years of Dividend History: 45
Norfolk Southern Corporation moves freight across 19,300 route miles in 22 states, hauling everything from soybeans and steel to finished motor vehicles and coal. The Norfolk Southern Corporation dividend currently yields 1.64%, with a trailing annual rate of $5.40 per share paid quarterly. The next ex-dividend date is August 7, 2026, and the last dividend paid was $1.35 per share. With a beta of 1.268, NSC carries more price volatility than the broader market, making it a better fit for growth-oriented dividend investors than those seeking low-risk income.
Norfolk Southern Corporation pays out 46% of earnings as dividends, a payout ratio classified as moderate (40–60%). That level leaves meaningful earnings retained within the business, which spans a broad mix of freight categories including chemicals, agricultural products, metals, and intermodal cargo, providing some natural diversification across demand sources. Norfolk Southern Corporation dividend safety faces its most direct pressure from the beta of 1.268, which reflects that NSC stock is more sensitive to economic swings than average, and freight volumes can contract sharply when industrial activity slows.
Over the past 15 years, Norfolk Southern Corporation dividend history shows a CAGR of 9.4% per year from 2010 to 2025. Per-share payments grew from $1.40 to $5.40 over that period (2026 is a partial year and excluded from this calculation). The largest annual increase in the window was 32.9% in 2015, though the data also contains at least one year-over-year decline exceeding 5%, so growth has not been linear.
| Period | CAGR | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-Year | +2.9% | $4.96 (2022) | $5.40 (2025) |
| 5-Year | +7.5% | $3.76 (2020) | $5.40 (2025) |
| 10-Year | +6.2% | $2.95 (2015) | $5.40 (2025) |
NSC stock fits growth-and-income investors who prioritize dividend growth over current yield. At 1.64%, the yield is low (below 2%), and it sits only modestly above the 5-year average of 1.54%, so the income itself is not the draw. What the stock offers instead is a 9.4% annualized growth rate over 15 years and nine consecutive years of dividend increases, backed by a 46% payout ratio that leaves room for further raises. The trade-off is straightforward: investors accept a low starting yield and above-average price volatility in exchange for a dividend that has grown meaningfully over time.
| Payment Date | Amount per Share |
|---|---|
| 2026-08-07 | $1.3500 |
| 2026-05-08 | $1.3500 |
| 2026-02-06 | $1.3500 |
| 2025-11-07 | $1.3500 |
| 2025-08-01 | $1.3500 |
| 2025-05-02 | $1.3500 |
| 2025-02-07 | $1.3500 |
| 2024-11-01 | $1.3500 |
| 2024-08-02 | $1.3500 |
| 2024-05-02 | $1.3500 |
| Year | Total Dividends |
|---|---|
| 2026 | $4.0500 |
| 2025 | $5.4000 |
| 2024 | $5.4000 |
| 2023 | $5.4000 |
| 2022 | $4.9600 |
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