NORFOLK, Va., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) today reported record third-quarter financial results.

Net income was $702 million, up 39 percent year-over-year, a result of a 14 percent increase in income from railway operations and a lower effective income tax rate. Diluted earnings per share were $2.52, up 44 percent year-over-year and a third-quarter record.

"Norfolk Southern continues to deliver record financial results that reflect our careful and determined pursuit of a balanced and flexible strategy," said James A. Squires, Norfolk Southern chairman, president and CEO. "Our demonstrated progress toward the goals of our strategic plan is significant, and our ongoing pursuit of new initiatives to benefit customers and shareholders will further strengthen our organization."

Third-quarter summary

• Railway operating revenues of $2.9 billion increased 10 percent compared with third-quarter 2017, due to higher volumes and an increase in revenue per unit, including higher fuel surcharge revenue as well as increased rates. Overall volumes were up 5 percent reflecting growth in the major commodity categories of intermodal and merchandise, which offset a decline in coal.

• Railway operating expenses increased $152 million, or 9 percent, to $1.9 billion compared with the same period last year, driven by higher fuel prices, increases in volume-related expenses, and increased costs associated with overall lower network velocity.

• Income from railway operations was $1.0 billion, a 14 percent increase year-over-year, and a third-quarter record. The railway operating ratio, or operating expenses as a percentage of revenues, was 65.4 percent, also a third-quarter record.

About Norfolk SouthernNorfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) is one of the nation's premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway Company subsidiary operates approximately 19,500 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia, serves every major container port in the eastern United States, and provides efficient connections to other rail carriers. Norfolk Southern operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is a major transporter of coal, automotive, and industrial products.

Forward-looking statementsThis news release contains forward-looking statements that may be identified by the use of words like "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "plan," "consider," "project," and similar references to the future. Forward-looking statements reflect our good-faith evaluation of information currently available. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, and our actual results may differ materially from those projected. Please refer to our annual and quarterly reports filed with the SEC for a full discussion of those risks and uncertainties we view as most important. Forward-looking statements are not, and should not be relied upon as, a guarantee of future performance or results, nor will they necessarily prove to be accurate indications of the times at or by which any such performance or results will be achieved. As a result, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS:

1. Pensions and Other Postretirement BenefitsWe adopted Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2017-07 on January 1, 2018. The retrospective application resulted in the reclassification of $16 million and $48 million of pension and other postretirement benefits from the "Compensation and benefits" line item within "Railway operating expenses" to "Other income – net" on the Consolidated Statements of Income for the third quarter and first nine months of 2017, respectively.
2. Stock Repurchase ProgramsWe repurchased and retired 12.8 million shares (5.7 million shares under an accelerated stock repurchase program (ASR) and 7.1 million shares under our ongoing program) and 6.0 million shares of common stock under our stock repurchase programs in the first nine months of 2018 and 2017, respectively, at a cost of $2.1 billion and $712 million, respectively. We entered into an ASR on August 2, 2018 with two third-party financial institutions to repurchase common stock, at which time we made a payment of $1.2 billion to the financial institutions and received an initial delivery of 5.7 million shares valued at $960 million. The remaining balance of $240 million, included in "Additional paid-in capital" on the Consolidated Balance Sheets, will be settled no later than the end of January 2019, with the final number of shares to be delivered by the financial institutions equal to the volume-weighted average price per share of common stock over the ASR term, less a negotiated discount.Since the beginning of 2006, we have repurchased and retired 181.3 million shares at a total cost of $13.4 billion.
3. Reclassification of Stranded Tax EffectsIn February 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-02, "Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income." This update is intended to reclassify the stranded tax effects resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that was enacted on December 22, 2017 from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings. In the first quarter of 2018, we adopted the provisions of ASU 2018-02 resulting in an increase to "Accumulated other comprehensive loss" of $88 million and a corresponding increase to "Retained income," with no impact on "Total stockholders' equity."
4. Restricted CashThe "Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash" line item in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows includes restricted cash of $88 million at September 30, 2018 which reflects deposits held by a third party bond agent as collateral for certain debt obligations maturing in 2019. The restricted cash balance is included as part of "Other assets" on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

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SOURCE Norfolk Southern Corporation