Norfolk Southern Stock Falls as Operations Issues Weigh on Business

Shares of Norfolk Southern are down more than 4% Wednesday after its third-quarter earnings showed that the railroad operator is still incurring higher costs than its peers amid an industry-wide freight slowdown. This ratio is a metric for railroads that measures the proportion of operating revenue consumed by operating expenses. “We are not going to chase short-term operating ratio targets,” said Alan Shaw, Norfolk Southern's chief executive, during the company’s earnings conference call.