Norfolk Southern Corporation · NSC · NYSE
Dividend report · updated Nov 10, 2026
$326.72 +0.28% on the day, +$0.90
NSC stock page: price, charts & signals →
UnlockDividend Safety Rating: paid plans onlyDividend Safety Rating: paid plans only Is NSC’s dividend Very Safe or High Risk? 13 checks scored. Payout ratio, raise streak, recession record and 10 more. Show the rating
Yearly payout / yield
$5.40·1.65%
$1.35 quarterly x 4 ⓘ
Next payment
~$1.35/qtr
pays ~Feb 8, 2027 (est.) ⓘ
Next ex-date
Feb 5, 2027est.
own by Feb 4, 2027 ⓘ
Years without a cut
24 yrs
since the 2001 cut (-70.0%) ⓘ
Recession record
2000cut2008raised2020raised2022raised
cut in 2001
Yield vs history ⓘ
25
Below its usual yield
NSC share price & total return
Daily closing price, adjusted for stock splits.
NSC stock page »All dividend lists »Build a portfolio around NSC »
DSRSimilar stocksHistoryPayoutsFAQ
Last 20 payments
NSC Dividend Growth (CAGR)
1Y 0.0%3Y 0.0%5Y +1.7%10Y +8.3%
Per-share amount, by the date it paid (~ = about, from its usual pay gap). Light bar = declared, not yet paid. The enlarge button shows all 180 payments since 1982.
Annual dividends and growth
Total paid per share in each calendar year. 2026: the solid bar is paid so far; the dashed box on top is expected (1 declared and not yet paid), not a promise. Years with an extra or a missing payment (dates sliding across New Year) are compared per payment.
Next 5 years if the pace holds
If the recent pace holds — one-off jumps left out. Not a forecast. Pace: 0% a year, its typical raise over the last 5 years. Today's $5.40 a year would stay $5.40 by 2031 - 1.65% on today's $326.72 price.

How Many NSC Shares for $500 or $1,000 a Month?

At $5.40 a share a year, $500 a month takes about 1,112 NSC shares, about $363,313 at the Nov 10, 2026 close of $326.72. $1,000 a month takes about 2,223 shares, about $726,299. Before taxes, and only while the rate holds.

Norfolk Southern (NSC) pays $1.35 a share quarterly, $5.40 a year, a 1.65% run-rate yield at the Nov 10, 2026 close of $326.72. It has made 180 dividend payments since 1982.

At today’s rate of $1.35 quarterly and the last close of $326.72, this is what NSC pays before taxes, if the rate stays where it is:

You holdEach paymentPer month (avg)Per year
1 share$1.35$0.45$5.40
100 shares$135.00$45.00$540.00
$10,000 invested (30.6 shares)$41.32$13.77$165.28
1,112 shares ($500/mo)$1,501.20$500.40$6,004.80
2,223 shares ($1,000/mo)$3,001.05$1,000.35$12,004.20

With DRIP on, every payment buys more shares instead of landing as cash. 100 NSC shares reinvest into 0.41 new shares each payment, about 1.7 new shares a year at today’s price and rate, and each new share collects the next payment too. To DRIP one whole new share every payment you need about 243 shares. Raises speed that up; a falling share price buys more shares per payment, but each is worth less. See the snowball over 10 to 30 years with NSC’s own history in the NSC DRIP calculator.

UnlockDividend Safety Rating: paid plans only
Dividend Safety Rating Not financial advice
See NSC’s rating and its 13 factors.
See the rating & factors »
An algorithmic rating built from reported data, not a recommendation.
  • Coverage (EPS): are profits enough to pay the dividend rating
  • Coverage (FCF): is spare cash enough to pay the dividend rating
  • Dividend vs cash flow + debt: is the dividend paid with borrowed money report
  • Debt load: how much the balance sheet leans on borrowing rating
  • Debt interest coverage: can profits easily pay the interest bill rating
  • Earnings direction: are sales and profits growing or shrinking report
  • Liquidity: is there cash for debts due this year rating
  • Raise streak: how many years in a row it raised see details
  • Years without a cut: how long since the last dividend cut see details
  • Raise vs trend: are recent raises keeping their usual pace history
  • Yield vs history: is today’s yield high or low versus its past rating
  • Recession record: what the dividend did in past crashes history
  • Crash record: what the dividend did in the 2008 crash history

NSC Dividend Yield Today vs Its 5-Year Range

25/100Below its usual yieldvs its 10-yr history
  • NSC yields 1.65% today, at the Nov 10, 2026 close of $326.72.
  • Its own 10-year median is 1.95%, so today’s yield is below its usual level.
Last 5 years: lowest to highest month-end yield
1.47% low2.83% high
Blue mark = today, grey = its 10-year median. A higher yield than usual means a lower price against the payout.

Where today ranks in its own history is in the paid report

How it works. Each month-end over the last 10 years gives one yield: the regular payment then, times payments a year, over that day’s close. Specials are left out. 50 means today’s yield sits right at its usual level. A lower score means the yield is below its usual level, so the price is high against the payout. A higher score means the yield is above its usual level. On price alone a payer stays between 15 and 85. Steady raisers get a few points back. It reads the past, not the future.

When Is NSC’s Next Dividend? Ex-Date and Pay Date After November 2026

NSC has not declared its next dividend yet. By its usual rhythm of about 91 days between ex-dates, the next ex-date falls around Feb 5, 2027, with the cash around Feb 8, 2027. An estimate, not a promise: only the declaration makes it final. The latest one, $1.35 a share, went ex on Nov 6, 2026 and pays Nov 20, 2026.

  • Ex-dates: about every 91 days (quarterly)
  • Payment: usually about 3 days after the ex-date
  • Next earnings report: Jan 28, 2027

Every payer going ex-dividend this week is on the dividend calendar.

How Often Does NSC Pay?

NSC pays quarterly, 4 times a year. Recent payments arrived in Feb, May, Aug and Nov, with ex-dates in Feb, May, Aug and Nov. The ex-date comes about every 91 days, and the cash usually lands about 3 days later.

Paid in the last 12 months
$4.05 a share, in 3 payments.
-25.0% against the 12 months before ($5.40 in 4 payments).
Cash that landed, by pay date. The yield up top uses today’s rate instead, so a raise or a cut shows there first.
Payout months
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Pays in Feb, May, Aug and Nov. Ex-dates fall in Feb, May, Aug and Nov (latest 4 payments).
Raise history
  • Streak: 0 years of higher annual totals (through 2025)
  • Last raise: Feb 2, 2023 - $1.24 to $1.35 (+$0.11, +8.87%)
  • Usual $ step: $0.10 (median of the raises before it)
Coverage
  • EPS payout: 45.3% - $5.40 paid / $11.93 EPS (4 quarters to Sep 30, 2026); own 4-yr norm 45.3% (median of 12 earlier trailing years)
  • FCF payout: 73.7% - $5.40 paid / $7.33 free cash flow per share (4 quarters to Sep 30, 2026); own 4-yr norm 86.4% (median of 12 earlier trailing years)

NSC vs Similar Dividend Stocks (DHLGY, HON...)

Against the 10 dividend-paying Industrials companies closest to NSC in market value, NSC’s 1.65% run-rate yield is above the group’s middle yield of 1.46%, and its raise streak of 0 years is the 11th longest. A higher yield than the group is not a bonus by itself: it is often the market pricing in a cut, so read it next to the rating and the coverage behind it.

Ticker Dividend ⓘ Yield Safety Rating Recessions ⓘ No cut ⓘ
NSC $326.72Norfolk Southern $1.35/qtr$5.40/yr fwd 1.65% Dividend Safety Rating: paid plans only Cut in 20012000 cut2008 raised2020 raised2022 raised 24 yrsno raise streak
DHLGY $32.82Deutsche Post AG $1.103/yr 3.36% Dividend Safety Rating: paid plans only — 16+ yrsraised 1 yr in a row
HON $228.95Honeywell International $0.70/qtr$2.80/yr fwd 1.22% Dividend Safety Rating: paid plans only No cut in all 42000 held2008 raised2020 raised2022 held 0 yrsraised 2 yrs in a row
RELX $40.02RELX $0.279/half-yr$0.56/yr fwd 1.39% Dividend Safety Rating: paid plans only No cut in both2020 held2022 heldno 2000/2008 record 12+ yrsraised 10 yrs in a row
RSG $246.77Republic Services $0.67/qtr$2.68/yr fwd 1.09% Dividend Safety Rating: paid plans only Raised in all 32008 raised2020 raised2022 raisedno 2000 record 21+ yrsraised 21 yrs in a row
URI $1,128.26United Rentals $1.97/qtr$7.88/yr fwd 0.70% Dividend Safety Rating: paid plans only — 2+ yrsraised 2+ yrs in a row
FDX $318.77FedEx $1.22/qtr$4.88/yr fwd 1.53% Dividend Safety Rating: paid plans only Raised in all 32008 raised2020 raised2022 raisedno 2000 record 0 yrsraised 5 yrs in a row
CNI $127.20Canadian National Railway $0.663/qtr$2.65/yr fwd 2.08% Dividend Safety Rating: paid plans only No cut in all 42000 raised2008 held2020 held2022 raised 29+ yrsraised 29+ yrs in a row
BAESY $102.22BAE Systems $0.794/half-yr$1.59/yr fwd 1.55% Dividend Safety Rating: paid plans only — 21+ yrsraised 3 yrs in a row
NOC $539.19Northrop Grumman $2.47/qtr$9.88/yr fwd 1.83% Dividend Safety Rating: paid plans only No cut in all 42000 held2008 raised2020 raised2022 raised 43+ yrsraised 22 yrs in a row
VRT $200.47Vertiv Holdings Co $0.063/qtr$0.25/yr fwd 0.13% Dividend Safety Rating: paid plans only — 1+ yrraised 1 yr in a row

Yield and the safety rating are only half of it. See total returns with dividends reinvested, side by side: NSC vs DHLGY, NSC vs HON, NSC vs RELX.

NSC Dividend History: Every Payment Since 1982

Ex-datePay dateAmountFrequencyType
Nov 6, 2026Nov 20, 2026$1.35QuarterlyDeclared
Aug 7, 2026Aug 10, 2026$1.35QuarterlyRegular
May 8, 2026May 11, 2026$1.35QuarterlyRegular
Feb 6, 2026Feb 9, 2026$1.35QuarterlyRegular
Nov 7, 2025Nov 10, 2025$1.35QuarterlyRegular
Aug 1, 2025Aug 4, 2025$1.35QuarterlyRegular
May 2, 2025May 5, 2025$1.35QuarterlyRegular
Feb 7, 2025Feb 10, 2025$1.35QuarterlyRegular
Nov 1, 2024Nov 4, 2024$1.35QuarterlyRegular
Aug 2, 2024Aug 5, 2024$1.35QuarterlyRegular
The other 170 NSC payments come with a paid plan.
Show all 180 payments »
Newest first. Amounts are per share as paid, restated for splits; frequency is the schedule on file for that payment; a payment over 2.5x its neighbours is marked special.
From reported payments, prices and filings — data, not investment advice.

What the Dividend Safety Rating Means for NSC

UnlockDividend Safety Rating: paid plans only
See where NSC lands, and why.
See the rating & factors »
Own NSC? Your payouts fill in by themselves Add NSC once, with your buy date and share count. Every dividend since fills in, dated and in dollars, and with DRIP on each new share is counted for you.
Track NSC →

NSC Dividend Questions

How often does NSC pay dividends?

NSC pays quarterly, 4 times a year. Recent payments arrived in Feb, May, Aug and Nov, with ex-dates in Feb, May, Aug and Nov. The ex-date comes about every 91 days, and the cash usually lands about 3 days later.

Does NSC pay dividends monthly?

No. NSC pays quarterly, 4 times a year. For payers that pay every month, see the monthly dividend stocks.

When is the next NSC dividend?

NSC has not declared its next dividend yet. By its usual rhythm of about 91 days between ex-dates, the next ex-date falls around Feb 5, 2027, with the cash around Feb 8, 2027. An estimate, not a promise: only the declaration makes it final. The latest one, $1.35 a share, went ex on Nov 6, 2026 and pays Nov 20, 2026. The current rate is $1.35 per share, $5.40 a year.

Does NSC pay a dividend in February 2027?

Not declared yet. By its usual rhythm the next ex-date falls around Feb 5, 2027, with the cash around Feb 8, 2027, so a payment in February 2027 is likely. Only the company’s declaration makes it final.

How much does NSC pay per share?

NSC pays $1.35 a share quarterly, $5.40 a year. At the Nov 10, 2026 close of $326.72 that is a 1.65% run-rate yield, below its usual level: its own 10-year median is 1.95%.

Has NSC raised its dividend?

NSC has no current streak of yearly raises. The latest raise, on Feb 2, 2023, took the rate from $1.24 to $1.35 (+8.87%). Over five years the dividend grew 1.7% a year.

Is NSC’s dividend safe?

No rating can promise a future payment, but the record on file says a lot. NSC paid out 45% of its earnings and 74% of its free cash flow as dividends over the 4 quarters to Sep 30, 2026. It has gone 24 years without a cut. Through the market crashes: it raised the dividend through the 2008, 2020 and 2022 crashes; it cut it in the 2000 (in 2001) crash. This is data, not investment advice. The full 13-check rating comes with a plan.

How do I track my NSC dividends?

Add NSC to a free DRIPCalc portfolio once, with your buy date and share count. Every payout since fills in, dated and in dollars; with DRIP on, the new shares each payment buys are counted for you, so there is no spreadsheet to update and no broker login. To project the snowball, run NSC in the DRIP calculator.

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How this page is built: the rate is the latest regular dividend per share; run-rate yield = rate × payments per year ÷ last close (Nov 10, 2026), never a trailing 12-month total, which lags after a raise and hides a cut. Specials and one-off payments never count in the rate; a payer whose regular payments differ in size is annualized over its last full cycle of regular payments. Raise streak = consecutive calendar years with a higher amount per payment than the year before; years without a cut = years in which the amount per payment held within 1%. The Dividend Safety Rating reads 13 visible lines: coverage, streak, raise pace and yield range for dividend stocks; NAV trend, NAV funding and payout stability for income funds. Similar payers = the same sector or fund group, nearest in market value or fund size. Payments, prices and filings come from DRIPCALC’s price and dividend database. History is not a forecast. This is data, not investment advice.