Norfolk Southern (NSC) Stock Forecast & Price Target

$250.17

+4.26 (+1.73%)

(As of 10/11/2024 08:51 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

Moderate Buy

Based on 18 Analyst Ratings

Sell
1

Hold
4

Buy
13

Based on 18 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 18 analysts, 1 has given a sell rating, 4 have given a hold rating, and 13 have given a buy rating for NSC.

Consensus Price Target

$266.17
6.39% Upside

According to the 18 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Norfolk Southern, the average price target is $266.17. The highest price target for NSC is $294.00, while the lowest price target for NSC is $175.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 6.39% from the current price of $250.17.

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NSC Analyst Ratings Over Time

Type	Current Forecast 10/15/23 to 10/14/24	1 Month Ago 9/15/23 to 9/14/24	3 Months Ago 7/17/23 to 7/16/24	1 Year Ago 10/15/22 to 10/15/23
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)	12 Buy rating(s)	12 Buy rating(s)	13 Buy rating(s)
Hold	4 Hold rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	10 Hold rating(s)
Sell	1 Sell rating(s)	1 Sell rating(s)	1 Sell rating(s)	0 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target	$266.17	$264.24	$263.82	$242.00
Forecasted Upside	6.39% Upside	7.50% Upside	12.37% Upside	20.43% Upside
Consensus Rating	Moderate Buy	Moderate Buy	Moderate Buy	Moderate Buy

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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	2.67	2.58	2.50
Consensus Rating	Moderate Buy	Moderate Buy	Moderate Buy
Predicted Upside	6.39% Upside	29.12% Upside	6.88% 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
10/11/2024	Stifel Nicolaus 4 of 5 stars		Boost Target	Hold ➝ Hold	$241.00 ➝ $245.00	-1.92%
10/10/2024	Jefferies Financial Group 2 of 5 stars		Boost Target	Buy ➝ Buy	$275.00 ➝ $280.00	+14.06%
10/9/2024	Sanford C. Bernstein 3 of 5 stars		Boost Target	Outperform ➝ Outperform	$285.00 ➝ $286.00	+16.94%
10/9/2024	Citigroup Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	A. Rosa Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Initiated Coverage	Buy	$294.00	+20.89%
10/2/2024	Susquehanna Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Neutral ➝ Neutral	$255.00 ➝ $280.00	+12.84%
9/30/2024	Royal Bank of Canada Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Outperform ➝ Outperform	$267.00 ➝ $272.00	+9.70%
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.
9/25/2024	Evercore ISI Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Outperform ➝ Outperform	$265.00 ➝ $276.00	+13.18%
7/29/2024	Benchmark Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Buy ➝ Buy	$266.00 ➝ $270.00	+9.21%
7/26/2024	Wells Fargo & Company Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	C. Wetherbee Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Overweight ➝ Overweight	$260.00 ➝ $270.00	+21.14%
7/26/2024	TD Cowen Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Hold ➝ Hold	$251.00 ➝ $253.00	+13.51%
7/8/2024	Morgan Stanley Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Reiterated Rating	Underweight	$175.00	-18.93%
5/13/2024	Barclays Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Lower Target	Overweight ➝ Overweight	$305.00 ➝ $275.00	+18.91%
4/25/2024	UBS Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Lower Target	Buy ➝ Buy	$302.00 ➝ $294.00	+24.68%
4/18/2024	Loop Capital Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Buy ➝ Buy	$261.00 ➝ $270.00	+10.92%
4/9/2024	JPMorgan Chase & Co. Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Overweight ➝ Overweight	$240.00 ➝ $275.00	+9.89%
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%
12/1/2023	Bank of America Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Upgrade	Neutral ➝ Buy	$204.00 ➝ $248.00	+13.68%
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%
10/27/2022	Cowen Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Lower Target		$247.00 ➝ $243.00	+7.49%
10/27/2022	Stephens Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Equal Weight	$225.00 ➝ $230.00	+1.79%
10/27/2022	Susquehanna Bancshares Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target		$218.00 ➝ $220.00	-0.95%

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Monday at 04:22 AM 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 3, 2024. 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 shown consistent growth in revenue and earnings over the past few quarters, indicating a strong financial performance.
The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $1.35 per share, providing investors with a steady income stream.
With a current stock price of $248.50, Norfolk Southern Co. is trading near its 1-year high, suggesting positive market sentiment.
Analysts expect Norfolk Southern Co. to post an EPS of 11.8 for the current year, reflecting favorable future earnings potential.
The company has a solid return on equity of 19.64%, demonstrating efficient utilization of shareholder funds.

Norfolk Southern
Bear Case

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

Despite the positive financial performance, Norfolk Southern Co. operates in a cyclical industry that is susceptible to economic downturns.
The company's high dividend payout ratio of 86.96% may limit its ability to reinvest in growth opportunities or withstand unexpected financial challenges.
Norfolk Southern Co. has a beta of 1.31, indicating higher volatility compared to the market average, which may lead to increased risk for investors.
The railroad industry faces regulatory challenges and environmental concerns that could impact Norfolk Southern Co.'s operations and profitability.
Investing in Norfolk Southern Co. involves exposure to factors such as fuel prices, labor costs, and infrastructure maintenance, which can affect the company's bottom line.

NSC Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

: According to the research reports of 18 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Norfolk Southern is $266.17, with a high forecast of $294.00 and a low forecast of $175.00.
: 18 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, 4 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 6.39% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.
: Norfolk Southern has been rated by research analysts at Benchmark, Citigroup, Evercore ISI, Jefferies Financial Group, Royal Bank of Canada, Sanford C. Bernstein, Stifel Nicolaus, Susquehanna, TD Cowen, 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 2.67 while the average consensus rating score for "transportation" companies is 2.58. Learn more on how NSC compares to other companies.