Balance Sheet: Assets
Quarterly Data

The balance sheet provides creditors, investors, and analysts with information on company resources (assets) and its sources of capital (its equity and liabilities). It normally also provides information about the future earnings capacity of a company assets as well as an indication of cash flows that may come from receivables and inventories.

Assets are resources controlled by the company as a result of past events and from which future economic benefits are expected to flow to the entity.

Norfolk Southern Corp., consolidated balance sheet: assets (quarterly data)

US$ in millions

	Mar 31, 2022	Dec 31, 2021	Sep 30, 2021	Jun 30, 2021	Mar 31, 2021	Dec 31, 2020	Sep 30, 2020	Jun 30, 2020	Mar 31, 2020	Dec 31, 2019	Sep 30, 2019	Jun 30, 2019	Mar 31, 2019	Dec 31, 2018	Sep 30, 2018	Jun 30, 2018	Mar 31, 2018	Dec 31, 2017	Sep 30, 2017	Jun 30, 2017	Mar 31, 2017
Cash and cash equivalents	1,571)	839)	1,465)	1,670)	998)	1,115)	1,359)	1,143)	608)	580)	452)	274)	411)	358)	729)	430)	1,072)	690)	724)	642)	955)
Accounts receivable, net	1,070)	976)	945)	941)	944)	848)	883)	822)	889)	920)	973)	1,039)	1,048)	1,009)	1,043)	1,035)	973)	955)	973)	926)	998)
Materials and supplies	264)	218)	235)	246)	241)	221)	247)	257)	265)	244)	266)	256)	228)	207)	267)	260)	245)	222)	245)	289)	281)
Other current assets	110)	134)	77)	155)	120)	134)	90)	128)	240)	337)	325)	345)	235)	288)	70)	179)	189)	282)	57)	79)	93)
Current assets	3,015)	2,167)	2,722)	3,012)	2,303)	2,318)	2,579)	2,350)	2,002)	2,081)	2,016)	1,914)	1,922)	1,862)	2,109)	1,904)	2,479)	2,149)	1,999)	1,936)	2,327)
Investments	3,697)	3,707)	3,684)	3,658)	3,604)	3,590)	3,566)	3,590)	3,470)	3,428)	3,376)	3,301)	3,198)	3,109)	3,109)	3,058)	3,020)	2,981)	2,888)	2,848)	2,809)
Properties less accumulated depreciation	31,657)	31,653)	31,429)	31,355)	31,312)	31,345)	31,239)	31,217)	31,179)	31,614)	31,394)	31,201)	31,158)	31,091)	30,712)	30,540)	30,396)	30,330)	30,163)	30,033)	29,927)
Other assets	992)	966)	769)	729)	718)	709)	795)	805)	787)	800)	714)	756)	784)	177)	392)	286)	267)	251)	103)	105)	82)
Non-current assets	36,346)	36,326)	35,882)	35,742)	35,634)	35,644)	35,600)	35,612)	35,436)	35,842)	35,484)	35,258)	35,140)	34,377)	34,213)	33,884)	33,683)	33,562)	33,154)	32,986)	32,818)
Total assets	39,361)	38,493)	38,604)	38,754)	37,937)	37,962)	38,179)	37,962)	37,438)	37,923)	37,500)	37,172)	37,062)	36,239)	36,322)	35,788)	36,162)	35,711)	35,153)	34,922)	35,145)

The analysis of quarterly financial data reveals several trends and patterns in the company's asset composition over the observed periods.

Cash and Cash Equivalents: The cash and cash equivalents show considerable volatility throughout the quarters. Starting at 955 million US dollars in the first quarter of 2017, a decline is observed by mid-2017. Subsequently, the figure fluctuates with notable increases near the end of 2020 and early 2021, peaking at 1670 million US dollars in March 2021, followed by a drop and rise again, indicating fluctuating liquidity levels.
Accounts Receivable, Net: The accounts receivable remain relatively stable across the quarters, ranging approximately between 822 and 1070 million US dollars. There is a moderate upward trend starting in early 2021, reaching the highest value in the timeframe at 1070 million US dollars in the first quarter of 2022, suggesting consistent or slightly growing credit sales.
Materials and Supplies: Inventories measured by materials and supplies exhibit a gentle downward trend after mid-2018, with some fluctuations. Initial values of around 281 million US dollars decrease to a lower bound near 218 million by early 2022, reflecting possible inventory management improvements or changes in supply chain requirements.
Other Current Assets: This category presents significant irregularities, with notable spikes in several quarters, including December 2017, December 2018, and mid-2019. The fluctuations indicate varying short-term asset components or reclassifications during the periods without a clear upward or downward long-term trend.
Current Assets: The aggregate current assets depict cyclical behavior with troughs in mid-2018 and early 2022. Peaks occur during the first quarter of 2018 and more prominently in mid-2021 and early 2022, with values climbing over 3000 million US dollars. This pattern suggests periodic changes in working capital driven primarily by cash and other asset adjustments.
Investments: Investments show a steady incremental increase from 2809 million US dollars in early 2017 to a peak at 3707 million in mid-2021, followed by a slight dip towards early 2022. The gradual growth suggests ongoing investment activity, likely reflecting portfolio accumulation or capital expenditure adjustments.
Properties Less Accumulated Depreciation: Property, plant, and equipment net of depreciation increase consistently over time, from 29927 million US dollars at the start of 2017 to 31657 million by the first quarter of 2022. The steady growth illustrates continuous capital investment and asset base expansion with moderate depreciation effects.
Other Assets: Other non-current assets display notable volatility, with significant jumps in some quarters such as Mar 2019, climbing from mid-hundreds to values nearing a thousand million US dollars by early 2022. These fluctuations may reflect intangible asset valuation changes or other long-term asset adjustments.
Non-Current Assets: Total non-current assets follow an upward trend, growing from 32818 million US dollars in early 2017 to over 36346 million by the first quarter of 2022. Despite minor fluctuations, the general increase correlates with the property and investment growth trends, denoting an increasing long-term asset base.
Total Assets: Total assets mirror the combined trends of current and non-current assets, advancing from approximately 35145 million US dollars at the beginning of 2017 to 39361 million by early 2022. The growth trajectory is moderately steady, implying overall asset base expansion despite some interim contractions.

Assets: Selected Items

Download chart

Current Assets: Selected Items

Download chart

Norfolk Southern Corp. (NYSE:NSC)

Balance Sheet: Assets Quarterly Data

Assets: Selected Items

Current Assets: Selected Items

Balance Sheet: Assets
Quarterly Data