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Norfolk Southern (NSC) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Norfolk Southern logo
$264.67 -4.59 (-1.70%)
(As of 12:45 PM ET)

Norfolk Southern - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2024)

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

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
4.16% 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 4.16% from the current price of $264.67.

NSC Analyst Ratings Over Time

TypeCurrent Forecast
11/15/23 to 11/14/24
1 Month Ago
10/16/23 to 10/15/24
3 Months Ago
8/17/23 to 8/16/24
1 Year Ago
11/15/22 to 11/15/23
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)
12 Buy rating(s)
13 Buy rating(s)
Hold
5 Hold rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
8 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$266.17$264.24$237.15
Forecasted Upside4.16% Upside4.65% Upside9.90% Upside14.56% 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.
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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.
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Norfolk Southern Stock vs. The Competition

TypeNorfolk SouthernTransportation CompaniesS&P 500
Consensus Rating Score
2.63
2.58
2.50
Consensus RatingModerate BuyModerate BuyHold
Predicted Upside2.39% Upside32.91% Upside8.04% Upside
News Sentiment Rating
Positive News

See Recent NSC News
Positive News
Positive News
DateBrokerageAnalyst NameActionRatingPrice TargetUpside/Downside on Report DateDetails
11/13/2024Barclays
3 of 5 stars
 Boost TargetOverweight ➝ Overweight$290.00 ➝ $305.00+13.15%
11/12/2024Citigroup
3 of 5 stars
A. Rosa
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Boost TargetBuy ➝ Buy$302.00 ➝ $316.00+17.90%
10/23/2024Royal Bank of Canada
4 of 5 stars
 Boost TargetOutperform ➝ Outperform$272.00 ➝ $282.00+9.86%
10/23/2024TD Cowen
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 Boost TargetHold ➝ Hold$253.00 ➝ $259.00+1.23%
10/23/2024Loop Capital
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 Boost TargetBuy ➝ Buy$285.00 ➝ $287.00+11.76%
10/23/2024Stephens
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 Reiterated RatingEqual Weight ➝ Equal Weight$263.00 ➝ $263.00+2.42%
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10/23/2024JPMorgan Chase & Co.
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 Boost TargetOverweight ➝ Overweight$283.00 ➝ $288.00+12.15%
10/23/2024Bank of America
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 Boost TargetBuy ➝ Buy$276.00 ➝ $291.00+13.32%
10/23/2024Evercore ISI
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 Lower TargetOutperform ➝ Outperform$276.00 ➝ $274.00+6.74%
10/23/2024UBS Group
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 Boost TargetBuy ➝ Buy$289.00 ➝ $309.00+20.37%
10/23/2024Wells Fargo & Company
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C. Wetherbee
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Boost TargetOverweight ➝ Overweight$270.00 ➝ $280.00+9.10%
10/23/2024Susquehanna
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 Boost TargetNeutral ➝ Neutral$280.00 ➝ $285.00+9.43%
10/23/2024Benchmark
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 Boost TargetBuy ➝ Buy$270.00 ➝ $285.00+9.43%
10/11/2024Stifel Nicolaus
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 Boost TargetHold ➝ Hold$241.00 ➝ $245.00-1.92%
10/10/2024Jefferies Financial Group
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 Boost TargetBuy ➝ Buy$275.00 ➝ $280.00+14.06%
10/9/2024Sanford C. Bernstein
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 Boost TargetOutperform ➝ Outperform$285.00 ➝ $286.00+16.94%
7/8/2024Morgan Stanley
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 Reiterated RatingUnderweight$175.00-18.93%
3/21/2024The Goldman Sachs Group
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 Boost TargetBuy ➝ Buy$252.00 ➝ $283.00+9.11%
1/29/2024BMO Capital Markets
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 Lower TargetMarket Perform ➝ Market Perform$250.00 ➝ $245.00+4.99%
7/11/2023Vertical Research
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 UpgradeHold ➝ Buy$260.00+13.57%
4/27/2023VNET Group
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 Reiterated RatingMaintains
3/20/2023Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft
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 Lower Target$266.00 ➝ $258.00+25.31%
3/15/2023Argus
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 DowngradeBuy ➝ Hold
2/21/2023Wolfe Research
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 UpgradePeer Perform ➝ Outperform$255.00+11.77%
1/26/2023Cowen
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 Boost TargetOutperform$256.00 ➝ $259.00+6.60%
1/26/2023Credit Suisse Group
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 Lower TargetOutperform$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 Thursday at 01:01 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 Thursday, October 31, 2024. Please send any questions or comments about these Norfolk Southern pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

Norfolk Southern
Bull Case

green Wall Street bull icon

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

  • Recent Earnings Performance: Norfolk Southern Co. reported $3.06 EPS for the last quarter, surpassing the consensus estimate by $0.20. This indicates strong financial performance.
  • Analyst Ratings: Analysts have given Norfolk Southern Co. an average target price of $266.56, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy." Positive analyst sentiment can attract investors.
  • Market Capitalization: Norfolk Southern Co. has a market capitalization of $56.14 billion, reflecting the company's size and stability in the market.
  • Price Momentum: Norfolk Southern Co.'s stock price has been trending upwards, with a 1-year high of $263.66. This positive momentum can be appealing to investors.
  • Institutional Ownership: 75.10% of Norfolk Southern Co.'s stock is owned by institutional investors, indicating confidence in the company's future prospects.

Norfolk Southern
Bear Case

red Wall Street bear icon

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

  • Debt-to-Equity Ratio: Norfolk Southern Co. has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, which may raise concerns about the company's financial leverage.

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 equities research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Norfolk Southern in the last year. There is currently 1 sell rating, 5 hold ratings and 13 buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street equities research analysts is that investors should "moderate buy" NSC shares.

According to analysts, Norfolk Southern's stock has a predicted upside of 4.16% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

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 2.58. Learn more on how NSC compares to other companies.


This page (NYSE:NSC) was last updated on 11/14/2024 by MarketBeat.com Staff
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