These Three Railroad Stocks Hit Fresh 52-Week Highs Today – What’s Got Investors Buzzing?

• Barclays raised its price target on CSX to $60 from $55 and reiterated its ‘Overweight’ rating.
• Union Pacific raised its fiscal 2026 earnings per share growth outlook to the high-single-digit range.
• Norfolk Southern reported Q2 revenue of $3.5 billion, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.4 billion.

Shares of railroad operators CSX Corp. (CSX), Union Pacific Corp. (UNP) and Norfolk Southern Corp. (NSC) hit new 52-week highs in Thursday’s intraday trading, buoyed by better-than-expected quarterly earnings.

At the time of writing, CSX stock was up 5.5%, NSC shares climbed 4.4%, while UNP stock traded 3.7% higher.

Brokerages Raise CSX Price Target After Q2 Beat

CSX received a fresh round of bullish brokerage reviews on Thursday after reporting stronger-than-expected second-quarter results. The railroad operator posted record quarterly revenue of $3.94 billion, up 10% year over year, while earnings per share (EPS) rose 23% to $0.54. Wall Street had expected revenue of $3.90 billion and EPS of $0.52.

Following the results, Barclays raised its price target on CSX to $60 from $55 and reiterated its ‘Overweight’ rating. The firm said the company’s solid quarterly performance, combined with strong freight volumes and favorable pricing trends, should continue to support the stock. Barclays also highlighted management's focus on long-term cost reductions and higher capital returns.

Meanwhile, TD Cowen increased its price target to $54 from $46 while maintaining a ‘Buy’ rating. The firm said CSX’s earnings beat reflected broad-based strength across its business, driven by improving industrial demand and continued freight conversions from highways to rail, while higher margin guidance sets the company up for a strong second half of the year.

Retail sentiment surrounding CSX on Stocktwits trended in the ‘bullish’ territory over the past 24 hours, amid ‘high’ message volumes. The stock has soared 46% so far this year.

Union Pacific Raises 2026 Earnings Outlook

Union Pacific reported better-than-expected Q2 results, driven by higher fuel surcharge revenue, freight volume growth, and stronger core pricing.

Operating revenue rose 12% year over year to $6.9 billion, helped by a 12% increase in freight revenue. This came above Wall Street’s revenue expectations of $6.71 billion, according to Fiscal.ai. Net income climbed 12% to $2 billion, with EPS of $3.41, compared to consensus estimates of $3.23.

The railroad operator also raised its fiscal 2026 EPS growth outlook to the high-single-digit range and reaffirmed its target of delivering a high-single- to low-double-digit three-year EPS compound annual growth rate (CAGR) through 2027.

Ahead of the results, BofA raised its price target on Union Pacific to $334 from $301 and maintained a ‘Buy’ rating.

Retail sentiment surrounding UNP on Stocktwits also trended in the ‘bullish’ territory over the past 24 hours, though message volumes were ‘normal.’ The stock has gained around 31% so far in 2026.

Norfolk Southern Set To Snap 3-Sessions Of Losses

On Thursday, Norfolk Southern reported Q2 revenue of $3.5 billion, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.4 billion, according to Fiscal.ai data. Adjusted EPS of $3.52 also beat Wall Street’s forecast of $3.32. The railroad company raised its 2026 operating expense guidance to $8.8 billion to $8.9 billion from $8.2 billion to $8.4 billion.

NSC stock is on track to gain for the first time in three sessions.

Retail sentiment surrounding NSC on Stocktwits also trended in the ‘bullish’ territory over the past 24 hours, with ‘high’ message volumes. The stock has risen around 20% so far this year.

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