Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, railroad operator Norfolk Southern (NSC 0.43%) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.
With that in mind, let's take a closer look at Norfolk Southern and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.
Norfolk Southern facts
| 
 Headquarters (founded)  | 
 Norfolk, Va. (1883)  | 
| 
 Market Cap  | 
 $23.2 billion  | 
| 
 Industry  | 
 Railroads  | 
| 
 Trailing-12-Month Revenue  | 
 $11.0 billion  | 
| 
 Management  | 
 Chairman/CEO Charles Moorman IV CFO John Rathborne  | 
| 
 Return on Equity (average, past 3 years)  | 
 16.9%  | 
| 
 Cash/Debt  | 
 $668.0 million / $8.8 billion  | 
| 
 Dividend Yield  | 
 2.7%  | 
| 
 Competitors  | 
 Canadian National Railway CSX Union Pacific  | 
Sources: S&P Capital IQ and Motley Fool CAPS.
On CAPS, 98% of the 1,253 members who have rated Norfolk Southern believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward.
Just last week, one of those Fools, ValueInvestor747, succinctly summed up the Norfolk Southern bull case for our community: "The obvious risk is decreased coal demand due to a global slowdown and increased natural gas production/utilization. I think an uptick in the economy in other sectors will balance this out and at this valuation, I think [Norfolk Southern] still has room to grow."
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