Railroad stocks have shown a strong move to the upside over the course of trading on Thursday, extending the notable upward move seen in recent sessions.
The strength among railroad stocks is reflected by the 2.5 percent gain currently being shown by the Dow Jones Railroads Index. At its high for the session, the index was at a record intraday high.
Norfolk Southern (NSC) has helped to lead the sector higher, surging up by 6.8 percent on the day. Shares of Norfolk Southern reached their best intraday in well over two years in earlier trading.
The gain by Norfolk Southern comes after the railroad reported first quarter adjusted earnings of $1.00 per share compared to analyst estimates for earnings of $0.90 per share. The company also said revenues for the quarter rose 17 percent to $2.6 billion, exceeding expectations for revenues of $2.5 billion.
Norfolk Southern CEO Wick Moorman said, "We see continuing opportunities for growth in almost every segment of our business, and we're optimistic about our prospects for the balance of 2011."
Kansas City Southern (KSU) and Canadian National (CNI) are also posting notable gains, advancing by 2.5 percent and 2 percent, respectively.
Additionally, shares of Genesee & Wyoming (GWR) are currently up by 2.3 percent even though the company reported first quarter earnings that increased by less than analysts had expected.
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