Norfolk Southern (NSC) Stock Forecast & Price Target

$274.90 +0.90 (+0.33%)

Closing price 09/12/2025 03:59 PM Eastern

Extended Trading

$274.83 -0.07 (-0.03%)

As of 09/12/2025 07:45 PM Eastern

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

Consensus Rating

Hold

Based on 21 Analyst Ratings

Sell
0

Hold
14

Buy
7

Based on 21 Wall Street analysts who have issued ratings for Norfolk Southern in the last 12 months, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold." Out of the 21 analysts, 14 have given a hold rating, and 7 have given a buy rating for NSC.

Consensus Price Target

$285.15
3.73% Upside

According to the 21 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Norfolk Southern, the average price target is $285.15. The highest price target for NSC is $323.00, while the lowest price target for NSC is $247.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 3.73% from the current price of $274.90.

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.

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NSC Analyst Ratings Over Time

Type	Current Forecast 9/13/24 to 9/13/25	1 Month Ago 8/14/24 to 8/14/25	3 Months Ago 6/15/24 to 6/15/25	1 Year Ago 9/14/23 to 9/13/24
Strong Buy	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy	7 Buy rating(s)	7 Buy rating(s)	12 Buy rating(s)	12 Buy rating(s)
Hold	14 Hold rating(s)	14 Hold rating(s)	8 Hold rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)
Sell	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Sell rating(s)	1 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target	$285.15	$285.15	$267.24	$264.24
Forecasted Upside	3.73% Upside	0.90% Upside	7.63% Upside	7.50% Upside
Consensus Rating	Hold	Hold	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	2.33	2.57	2.53
Consensus Rating	Hold	Moderate Buy	Moderate Buy
Predicted Upside	3.73% Upside	20.41% Upside	10.72% 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	Action	Rating	Price Target	Report Date Upside/Downside
7/30/2025	Citigroup 2 of 5 stars	Ariel Rosa Not Rated	Boost Target	Neutral	$288.00 ➝ $305.00	+7.98%
7/30/2025	Evercore ISI 3 of 5 stars	Jonathan Chappell 4 of 5 stars	Reiterated Rating	Outperform ➝ In-Line	$279.00 ➝ $289.00	+3.44%
7/30/2025	Barclays 3 of 5 stars	Brandon Oglenski 5 of 5 stars	Boost Target	Overweight	$290.00 ➝ $300.00	+7.22%
7/30/2025	Benchmark Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Nathan Martin Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Downgrade	Buy ➝ Hold
7/30/2025	JPMorgan Chase & Co. Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Brian Ossenbeck Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Reiterated Rating	Overweight ➝ Neutral	$282.00 ➝ $288.00	+3.46%
7/29/2025	Royal Bank Of Canada Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Downgrade	Moderate Buy ➝ Hold
7/25/2025	Jefferies Financial Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Stephanie Moore Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Reiterated Rating	Buy ➝ Hold	$300.00	+7.78%
7/22/2025	Robert W. Baird Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Daniel Moore Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Neutral	$255.00 ➝ $300.00	+7.91%
7/21/2025	Sanford C. Bernstein Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	David Vernon Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Outperform	$295.00 ➝ $305.00	+10.11%
7/21/2025	TD Cowen Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Jason Seidl Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Upgrade	Hold ➝ Buy	$263.00 ➝ $323.00	+16.61%
Get the Latest News and Ratings for NSC and Related Stocks Enter your email address below to receive the latest news and analysts' ratings for Norfolk Southern and its competitors with MarketBeat's FREE daily newsletter.
7/17/2025	Bank of America Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Ken Hoexter Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Buy	$290.00 ➝ $305.00	+17.18%
7/1/2025	Baird R W Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	D. Moore Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Upgrade	Hold
6/24/2025	Susquehanna Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Bascome Majors Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Reiterated Rating	Neutral	$250.00 ➝ $260.00	+1.12%
6/2/2025	The Goldman Sachs Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Jordan Alliger Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Reiterated Rating	Buy ➝ Neutral	$278.00	+12.50%
5/30/2025	UBS Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Thomas Wadewitz Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Buy	$275.00 ➝ $279.00	+12.19%
4/24/2025	BMO Capital Markets Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Fadi Chamoun Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Reiterated Rating	Market Perform	$255.00	+13.14%
4/14/2025	Stifel Nicolaus Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Benjamin Nolan Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Hold	$265.00 ➝ $247.00	+11.74%
3/27/2025	Wells Fargo & Company Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Christian Wetherbee Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Overweight	$300.00 ➝ $290.00	+23.06%
3/7/2025	Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Initiated Coverage	Hold ➝ Buy	$293.00	+22.51%
2/3/2025	Loop Capital Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Rick Paterson Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Downgrade	Buy ➝ Hold	$289.00 ➝ $256.00	+0.22%
1/30/2025	Stephens Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Daniel Imbro Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Equal Weight	$260.00 ➝ $275.00	+6.34%
7/8/2024	Morgan Stanley Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Reiterated Rating	Underweight	$175.00	-18.93%

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Saturday at 04:57 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, September 9, 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.:

The current stock price is around $277.53, which may present a buying opportunity for investors looking for value in the railroad sector.
Norfolk Southern Co. reported a strong quarterly earnings performance, with earnings per share exceeding expectations, indicating robust financial health.
The company has a solid dividend yield of 2.0%, providing a steady income stream for investors, which is attractive in a low-interest-rate environment.
Recent upgrades from analysts, including a price target increase to $305.00, suggest positive market sentiment and potential for stock appreciation.
With a significant portion of shares owned by institutional investors, there is a level of confidence in the company's long-term prospects, which can be reassuring for individual investors.

Norfolk Southern
Bear Case

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

The stock has experienced fluctuations, with a 52-week high of $291.69 and a low of $201.63, indicating potential volatility that could deter risk-averse investors.
The company's debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11 suggests a reliance on debt financing, which could pose risks in a rising interest rate environment.
Despite recent positive earnings, the overall market conditions for the transportation sector can be unpredictable, influenced by economic cycles and demand fluctuations.
Analysts have issued a mix of ratings, with a consensus rating of "Hold," indicating uncertainty about the stock's future performance.
With a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.75, some investors may view the stock as overvalued compared to its earnings growth potential, which could limit upside potential.

NSC Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

: According to the research reports of 21 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Norfolk Southern is $285.15, with a high forecast of $323.00 and a low forecast of $247.00.
: 21 Wall Street equities research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Norfolk Southern in the last year. There are currently 14 hold ratings and 7 buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street equities research analysts is that investors should "hold" NSC shares. A hold rating indicates that analysts believe investors should maintain any existing positions they have in NSC, but not buy additional shares or sell existing shares.
: According to analysts, Norfolk Southern's stock has a predicted upside of 3.73% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.
: Over the previous 90 days, Norfolk Southern's stock had 4 downgrades and 2 upgrades by analysts.
: Norfolk Southern has been rated by research analysts at Baird R W, Bank of America, Barclays, Benchmark, Citigroup, Evercore ISI, Jefferies Financial Group, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Robert W. Baird, Royal Bank Of Canada, Sanford C. Bernstein, Susquehanna, and TD Cowen in the past 90 days.
: Analysts like Norfolk Southern less than other "transportation" companies. The consensus rating for Norfolk Southern is Hold while the average consensus rating for "transportation" companies is Moderate Buy. Learn more on how NSC compares to other companies.

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This page (NYSE:NSC) was last updated on 9/13/2025 by MarketBeat.com Staff

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Norfolk Southern (NSC) Stock Forecast & Price Target