Stock Price & Analysis

Based on the provided data and current market conditions, here's a comprehensive analysis of NSC stock:

Technical Analysis

The current pre-market price of NSC is $249.44, showing a +0.68% increase. The stock is currently in a consolidation phase with key technical levels:

• Support levels: $246.19, $242.41, $236.30
• Resistance levels: $258.40, $262.18, $268.28
• Pivot point: $252.29

The RSI-14 at 45.32 indicates neutral momentum, while MACD shows slight bearish divergence with -0.90 histogram.

Fundamental Analysis

Key valuation metrics:

• P/E: 17.77x
• EV/EBITDA: 11.90x
• P/S: 4.56x
• P/B: 4.41x
• Dividend Yield: 2.01%

Recent Developments

• Q4 2024 Performance:

  • EPS: $3.04 (beat consensus of $2.94)
  • Revenue: $3.024 billion
  • Exceeded productivity target by $50 million
  • Operating ratio improved by 160 basis points

• Management Outlook:

  • Projected 3% revenue growth for 2025
  • Strongest volume growth expected in intermodal segment
  • Additional progress on expense control
  • Expected to exceed $150 million in incremental annualized productivity gains

Analyst Sentiment

Recent analyst actions [3, 4]:

• Wells Fargo: Buy rating, PT $300 (20.3% upside)
• Evercore ISI: Buy rating, PT $287 (15.1% upside)
• Overall consensus: Moderate Buy with average PT $275.54 (10.5% upside)

Conclusion

SELL. Despite positive analyst sentiment and solid fundamentals, technical indicators suggest the stock is facing resistance near current levels. The RSI showing neutral momentum combined with bearish MACD divergence indicates potential downside risk in the short term. Additionally, the stock is trading below its pivot point of $252.29, suggesting bearish pressure.

Based on the provided data and context, I'll analyze NSC's price prediction for 2025:

Technical Analysis & Price Trends

The current technical indicators show:

• RSI (14) at 45.32 indicates neutral momentum
• MACD showing bearish divergence with -0.90 histogram
• Stock trading near the middle of its Bollinger Bands (BBP: 0.21)
• Current price at $249.44 in pre-market trading

Fundamental Drivers

Key valuation metrics for 2024/FY:

• P/E: 20.29x
• EV/EBITDA: 11.58x
• Dividend Yield: 2.30%

Analyst Consensus & Price Targets

According to recent analyst reports:

• Evercore ISI maintains Buy rating with $287 target
• Wells Fargo maintains Buy with $300 target
• TD Cowen has Hold rating with $272 target
• Mean price target: $277.26 (11.3% upside potential)

2025 Price Prediction

Based on the analysis of technical indicators, fundamental factors, and analyst consensus, NSC's stock price is expected to reach $275-280 by end of 2025, supported by:

1. Management's guidance for 3% revenue growth in 2025
2. Expected productivity gains exceeding $150 million target
3. Improving operational efficiency with operating ratio dropping to 62.6%

The stock is likely to face resistance around $268.28 (Fibonacci R3) but has support at $246.19 (Fibonacci S1).

The S1 support level for NSC Stock is $244.36 ,The R1 resistant level for NSC Stock is $258.05.

As of the end of day on 2025-02-26, the price of NSC Stock was $246.01.

The target price for NSC Stock according to analyst rating is 276.00, with the highest price target at 305.00 and the lowest at 175.00. Analysts have a Moderate Buy rating on NSC Stock overall.

The market cap of NSC is $55.5B.

Based on the comprehensive data analysis, NSC appears to be moderately overvalued at current levels. Here's why:

Valuation Metrics Show Premium The stock's PE ratio has increased significantly from 17.77 in 2022 to 29.47 in 2023, indicating substantial multiple expansion. EV/EBITDA also rose from 11.90 to 13.12, suggesting higher valuation levels.

Deteriorating Fundamentals Revenue declined from $12.75B in 2022 to $12.16B in 2023, while net income dropped sharply from $3.27B to $1.82B. Margins have also compressed significantly - net margin fell from 25.66% to 15.03%.

Technical Indicators Signal Weakness RSI readings (14-day at 45.32) show neutral momentum but trending lower. The stock is trading near its 20-day SMA of $253.70, with weak momentum indicators suggesting limited upside potential.

Analyst Sentiment Mixed Recent analyst actions show mixed views - while some maintain Buy ratings with targets up to $287, others have downgraded the stock. The current consensus target of $277.26 implies about 11% upside, which may not fully account for fundamental deterioration.

Current Trading Level Pre-market price of $249.44 represents a premium to both historical multiples and peer valuations, especially considering the weakening operational performance and margin pressure.

Norfolk Southern Corporation is a holding company, which is engaged in the rail transportation business. The Company is engaged in the rail transportation of raw materials, intermediate products, and finished goods in the Southeast, East, and Midwest and, via interchange with rail carriers, to and from the rest of the United States. The Company also transports overseas freight through several Atlantic and Gulf Coast ports. It offers an intermodal network in the eastern half of the United States. Its railroad operations system reaches various manufacturing plants, electric generating facilities, mines, distribution centers and transload facilities. It is also a transporter of industrial products, including agricultural, forest and consumer products, chemicals, and metals and construction materials. It serves every container port and a principal carrier of coal, automobiles and automotive parts. It operates Great Lakes Reload (GLR) property in Chicago, a transload and warehouse facility.

Based on the provided data and context, I'll analyze NSC's potential price for 2030:

NSC's stock price is projected to reach $320-350 by 2030, driven by continued operational efficiency improvements and strategic growth initiatives. The company's strong market position in eastern U.S. freight transportation, successful cost management programs, and focus on service reliability support this outlook.

The projection is supported by NSC's consistent margin improvements, with operating ratio dropping to 62.6% from 73.7% year-over-year, demonstrating strong operational execution.

NSC has a total of 20700 employees.