Norfolk Southern (NSC) Stock Forecast & Price Target

$245.39 -1.72 (-0.70%)

As of 01/17/2025 03:59 PM Eastern

Norfolk Southern - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2025)

MarketBeat calculates consensus analyst ratings for stocks using the most recent rating from each Wall Street analyst that has rated a stock within the last twelve months. Each analyst's rating is normalized to a standardized rating score of 1 (sell), 2 (hold), 3 (buy) or 4 (strong buy). Analyst consensus ratings scores are calculated using the mean average of the number of normalized sell, hold, buy and strong buy ratings from Wall Street analysts. Each stock's consensus analyst rating is derived from its calculated consensus ratings score (0 to .5 = Strong Sell, .5 to 1 = Sell, 1 to 1.5 = Reduce, 1.5 to 2.5 = Hold, 2.5 to 3.0 = Moderate Buy, 3.0 to 3.5 = Buy, >3.5 = Strong Buy). MarketBeat's consensus price targets are a mean average of the most recent available price targets set by each analyst that has set a price target for the stock in the last twelve months. MarketBeat's consensus ratings and consensus price targets may differ from those calculated by other firms due to differences in methodology and available data.

Consensus Rating

Moderate Buy

Based on 19 Analyst Ratings

Sell
1

Hold
5

Buy
13

Based on 19 Wall Street analysts who have issued ratings for Norfolk Southern in the last 12 months, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy." Out of the 19 analysts, 1 has given a sell rating, 5 have given a hold rating, and 13 have given a buy rating for NSC.

Consensus Price Target

$275.68
12.35% Upside

According to the 19 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Norfolk Southern, the average price target is $275.68. The highest price target for NSC is $316.00, while the lowest price target for NSC is $175.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 12.35% from the current price of $245.39.

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NSC Analyst Ratings Over Time

Type	Current Forecast 1/21/24 to 1/20/25	1 Month Ago 12/22/23 to 12/21/24	3 Months Ago 10/23/23 to 10/22/24	1 Year Ago 1/21/23 to 1/21/24
Strong Buy	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy	13 Buy rating(s)	13 Buy rating(s)	13 Buy rating(s)	14 Buy rating(s)
Hold	5 Hold rating(s)	5 Hold rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)
Sell	1 Sell rating(s)	1 Sell rating(s)	1 Sell rating(s)	0 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target	$275.68	$275.68	$266.61	$238.40
Forecasted Upside	12.35% Upside	17.74% Upside	2.37% Upside	1.86% Upside
Consensus Rating	Moderate Buy	Moderate Buy	Moderate Buy	Moderate Buy

NSC Analyst Recommendations By Month

The chart below shows how a company's ratings by analysts have changed over time. Each bar represents the previous year of ratings for that month. Within each bar, the sell ratings are shown in red, the hold ratings are shown in yellow, the buy ratings are shown in green, and the strong buy ratings are shown in dark green.

NSC Price Targets by Month

The chart below shows how a company's share price and consensus price target have changed over time. The dark blue line represents the company's actual price. The lighter blue line represents the stock's consensus price target. The even lighter blue range in the background of the two lines represents the low price target and the high price target for each stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock vs. The Competition

Type	Norfolk Southern	Transportation Companies	S&P 500
Consensus Rating Score	2.63	2.61	2.52
Consensus Rating	Moderate Buy	Moderate Buy	Moderate Buy
Predicted Upside	12.35% Upside	36.13% Upside	12.44% Upside
News Sentiment Rating	Positive News See Recent NSC News	Positive News	Positive News

Recent Analyst Forecasts and Stock Ratings

Rating

Upside/Downside

Action

Time Frame

Start Date

End Date

Show

Export to Excel

Date	Brokerage	Analyst Name	Action	Rating	Price Target	Upside/Downside on Report Date
1/8/2025	Susquehanna 2 of 5 stars		Lower Target	Neutral ➝ Neutral	$285.00 ➝ $265.00	+12.59%
1/7/2025	Wells Fargo & Company 3 of 5 stars		Lower Target	Overweight ➝ Overweight	$320.00 ➝ $300.00	+25.78%
11/13/2024	Barclays 3 of 5 stars		Boost Target	Overweight ➝ Overweight	$290.00 ➝ $305.00	+13.15%
11/12/2024	Citigroup Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	A. Rosa Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Buy ➝ Buy	$302.00 ➝ $316.00	+17.90%
10/23/2024	Royal Bank of Canada Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Outperform ➝ Outperform	$272.00 ➝ $282.00	+9.86%
10/23/2024	TD Cowen Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Hold ➝ Hold	$253.00 ➝ $259.00	+1.23%
10/23/2024	Loop Capital Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Buy ➝ Buy	$285.00 ➝ $287.00	+11.76%
10/23/2024	Stephens Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Reiterated Rating	Equal Weight ➝ Equal Weight	$263.00 ➝ $263.00	+2.42%
10/23/2024	JPMorgan Chase & Co. Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Overweight ➝ Overweight	$283.00 ➝ $288.00	+12.15%
10/23/2024	Bank of America Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Buy ➝ Buy	$276.00 ➝ $291.00	+13.32%
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10/23/2024	Evercore ISI Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Lower Target	Outperform ➝ Outperform	$276.00 ➝ $274.00	+6.74%
10/23/2024	UBS Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Buy ➝ Buy	$289.00 ➝ $309.00	+20.37%
10/23/2024	Benchmark Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Buy ➝ Buy	$270.00 ➝ $285.00	+9.43%
10/11/2024	Stifel Nicolaus Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Hold ➝ Hold	$241.00 ➝ $245.00	-1.92%
10/10/2024	Jefferies Financial Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Buy ➝ Buy	$275.00 ➝ $280.00	+14.06%
10/9/2024	Sanford C. Bernstein Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Outperform ➝ Outperform	$285.00 ➝ $286.00	+16.94%
7/8/2024	Morgan Stanley Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Reiterated Rating	Underweight	$175.00	-18.93%
3/21/2024	The Goldman Sachs Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Buy ➝ Buy	$252.00 ➝ $283.00	+9.11%
1/29/2024	BMO Capital Markets Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Lower Target	Market Perform ➝ Market Perform	$250.00 ➝ $245.00	+4.99%
7/11/2023	Vertical Research Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Upgrade	Hold ➝ Buy	$260.00	+13.57%
4/27/2023	VNET Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Reiterated Rating	Maintains
3/20/2023	Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Lower Target		$266.00 ➝ $258.00	+25.31%
3/15/2023	Argus Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Downgrade	Buy ➝ Hold
2/21/2023	Wolfe Research Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Upgrade	Peer Perform ➝ Outperform	$255.00	+11.77%
1/26/2023	Cowen Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Outperform	$256.00 ➝ $259.00	+6.60%
1/26/2023	Credit Suisse Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Lower Target	Outperform	$285.00 ➝ $275.00	+13.18%

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Monday at 11:59 PM ET.

Should I Buy Norfolk Southern Stock? NSC Pros and Cons Explained

These pros and cons were generated based on recent news and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate insights. They were last updated on Tuesday, January 14, 2025. Please send any questions or comments about these Norfolk Southern pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

Norfolk Southern
Bull Case

Here are some ways that investors could benefit from investing in Norfolk Southern Co.:

Norfolk Southern Co. has a strong revenue performance, reporting $3.10 billion for the latest quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations of $3.08 billion. This indicates robust operational efficiency and demand for its services.
The company has a solid net margin of 19.85%, which reflects its ability to convert revenue into profit effectively. A higher net margin is generally a positive indicator of financial health.
With a current stock price of $237.66, there is a potential upside of 26.23% based on Wells Fargo's revised price target of $300.00, suggesting that the stock may be undervalued at its current price.
Norfolk Southern Co. has a history of consistent dividend payments, recently declaring a quarterly dividend of $1.35, which translates to an annualized yield of 2.31%. This can provide a steady income stream for investors.
The company has received multiple "buy" ratings from analysts, indicating strong market confidence in its future performance. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock as a buy, which can be a positive signal for potential investors.

Norfolk Southern
Bear Case

Investors should be bearish about investing in Norfolk Southern Co. for these reasons:

Despite the positive revenue growth, the company has a relatively high debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, which may indicate higher financial risk. A higher ratio suggests that the company relies more on debt to finance its operations, which can be a concern in volatile markets.
Norfolk Southern Co. has a current ratio of 0.73, which is below the ideal benchmark of 1. This suggests that the company may face challenges in meeting its short-term liabilities, potentially impacting liquidity.
One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, which could indicate potential concerns about the company's future performance or market conditions that may not be favorable.
The stock has experienced fluctuations, with a twelve-month low of $206.71 and a high of $277.60, indicating volatility that may deter risk-averse investors.
Analysts have varying target prices, with some estimates as low as $253.00, which may create uncertainty about the stock's future trajectory and could lead to investor hesitation.

NSC Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

: According to the research reports of 19 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Norfolk Southern is $275.68, with a high forecast of $316.00 and a low forecast of $175.00.
: 19 Wall Street research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Norfolk Southern in the last twelve months. There is currently 1 sell rating, 5 hold ratings and 13 buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street research analysts is that investors should "moderate buy" NSC shares.
: According to analysts, Norfolk Southern's stock has a predicted upside of 12.35% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.
: Norfolk Southern has been rated by research analysts at Bank of America, Barclays, Benchmark, Citigroup, Evercore ISI, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Loop Capital, Royal Bank of Canada, Stephens, Susquehanna, TD Cowen, UBS Group, and Wells Fargo & Company in the past 90 days.
: Analysts like Norfolk Southern more than other "transportation" companies. The consensus rating score for Norfolk Southern is 2.63 while the average consensus rating score for "transportation" companies is 2.61. Learn more on how NSC compares to other companies.

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This page (NYSE:NSC) was last updated on 1/20/2025 by MarketBeat.com Staff

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Norfolk Southern (NSC) Stock Forecast & Price Target