Union Pacific exploring Norfolk Southern rail takeover, reports say
Talks are in early stages, the person said, with no guarantee talks will progress or that any deal would pass what would be expected to be a lengthy, detailed regulatory review. The two companies declined to comment.
Any deal to unite two of the six largest freight rail operators in North America is likely to draw intense regulatory scrutiny. Major shippers in the steel, chemical and grain industries are expected to lobby against any further concentration in an industry that has consolidated from over 100 Class I railroads in the 1950s to just six today.
Union Pacific UNP-N shares fell 2.7 per cent in Friday afternoon trading, while Norfolk Southern NSC-N rose 1.52 per cent.
A combination would mark a shift in the U.S. freight rail landscape, creating a single-line network stretching from coast to coast, changing the current divide between western and eastern regional operators.
Norfolk is recovering from a tumultuous past couple of years that included the firing of its previous CEO amid ethics investigations, a boardroom battle with activist Ancora, and a train derailment that cost the company about $1.4-billion.
A merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern would create the first modern West-to-East single-line freight railroad in the U.S.
Earlier this year, Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena said a transcontinental merger would be good for customers, eliminating the need for interchanges between carriers in Chicago – a longstanding bottleneck – and reducing costly delays for shippers.
But critics warn that such consolidation could reduce competition, a possible concern for regulators. With fewer major players in the market, shippers may face higher costs and diminished service options.
'We suspect certain shipper groups could get vocal on the perceived lost competition a merger would bring,' Barclays analyst Brandon R. Oglenski said.
Discussions between the two operators, first disclosed by Semafor, spurred speculation that competitors would also consider concentration.
'History teaches that mergers and acquisitions within the railroad industry will inspire and motivate additional M&A,' said Mike Steenhoek, executive director of the Soy Transportation Coalition.
That happened earlier this decade when Canadian Pacific offered to acquire Kansas City Southern, which prompted CP's main competitor – Canadian National – to submit their own offer to acquire Kansas City Southern.
Ultimately the Canadian National offer was not allowed to proceed, and Canadian Pacific did acquire Kansas City Southern in 2023 – creating the first railroad to link Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.
In 2024, Union Pacific led the industry with $24.3-billion in revenue, followed by BNSF (privately held, owned by Berkshire Hathaway), CSX CSX-Q, Canadian National CNR-T, Norfolk and Canadian Pacific Kansas City CP-T.
'The energy and momentum toward the remaining two U.S. based Class I railroads – BNSF and CSX – pursuing a merger would be considerable,' Steenhoek said.
A regulatory decision could take 16 to 22 months, with merging carriers required to notify the Surface Transportation Board three to six months before filing an application, followed by a year-long evidentiary review and a final ruling within 90 days, Oglenski said.
A potential Union Pacific acquisition of Norfolk Southern could have material synergy, he said.
'Any deal would face serious review from regulators,' said Emily Nasseff Mitsch, equity analyst at CFRA.
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Globe and Mail
15 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
CyberArk and Centene have been highlighted as Zacks Bull and Bear of the Day
For Immediate Release Chicago, IL – July 24, 2025 – Zacks Equity Research shares CyberArk CYBR as the Bull of the Day and Centene Corp. CNC as the Bear of the Day. In addition, Zacks Equity Research provides analysis on Palantir Technologies PLTR, Lockheed Martin LMT and RTX Corp. RTX. Here is a synopsis of all five stocks. Bull of the Day: CyberArk is a $19 billion provider of cybersecurity solutions to more than 5,400 global businesses, including over half of the Fortune 500 and over 35% of Global 2000 companies. CYBR specializes in Privileged Access Management (PAM), which allows businesses to secure, manage, and monitor identities (human, machine, and now agentic) that have elevated or "privileged" access to critical systems and sensitive data. Since 2022 when I became a CYBR investor, my rationale has centered on two themes: (1) threat actors were becoming more sophisticated and well-funded to perform larger attacks on enterprises and (2) AI and other automation tools would multiply and accelerate their malicious efforts exponentially. So I'm excited to see CYBR finding more ways to use AI to their advantage in a never-ending war of threats. Here's what their 2025 report Identity Security Landscape had to say about the challenge... "Organizations now report that 72% of employees regularly use AI tools on the job -- yet 68% of respondents still lack identity security controls for these technologies. Machine identities now outnumber human identities by more than 80 to 1." Securing AI Agents In Q1 of 2025, CyberArk introduced its Secure AI Agents Solution to help organizations manage the privileged access of AI agents and secure their interactions across environments. The solution combined CyberArk's existing platform capabilities with AI-specific discovery, privilege controls, lifecycle management and governance. With the explosion of "agentic" AI this year -- where software programs with specific goals can act autonomously on your behalf to execute tasks -- the risks have soared in the identity security realms. AI agents can act like humans in their autonomy and like machines in their ability to scale, creating a unique security risk. They can communicate with other agents, access sensitive systems and even modify their behavior to complete complex tasks, making them a fast-growing security risk as organizations scale their use of AI. Millions of autonomous, unpredictable AI agents represent a new, rapidly expanding identity security attack surface. CyberArk's solutions address this challenge by applying identity-first security principles, where it treats each AI agent like any other privileged, autonomous identity. The solution provides organizations with visibility into all AI agents, including known or shadow agents. It also enforces privilege control for secure access management and threat detection and response. AWS Marketplace AI Agents and Tools Again from the CYBR Identity Security Landscape report... "In the race to adopt AI, organizations are also inadvertently creating a surge of unmanaged and unsecured machine identities that overburdened teams don't have the visibility to manage. The privileged access of AI agents represents an entirely new threat vector that existing security models aren't built to handle." On July 16, CyberArk expanded access to these capabilities by making Secure Cloud Access MCP Server and Agent Guard available through Amazon Web Service ("AWS") Marketplace. Through these offerings, CyberArk aims to simplify the adoption and enforcement of Zero Standing Privileges across AI workflows, further strengthening CyberArk's platform reach. Customers can now use AWS Marketplace to easily discover, buy, and deploy AI agent solutions using their AWS accounts, accelerating agent and agentic workflow development. The Growth Outlook Brightens While estimates did not rise in the past week since this announcement, I expect them to and we'll learn more at the company's Q2 earnings report on August 7. On July 14, Barclays raised their price target on CYBR shares to $440. CYBR is projected to grow revenues this year by 32% to cross $1.3 billion. And profits are hopping too with an expected 26.4% advance to EPS of $3.83. A key driver of this growth is CyberArk's ability to carry out cross-selling synergies among its existing customer base. Existing customers are adopting more solutions from CyberArk's platform, which is helping grow subscription revenues. As more enterprises adopt AI agents, CyberArk's early move into this space could create new cross-sell opportunities, making its platform even more critical for customers seeking identity security consolidation. For instance, A Fortune 100 financial services firm, which is a long-time CyberArk customer on the human identity side, expanded into certificate lifecycle management and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) offerings with a competitive multi-six-figure Annual Contract Value (ACV) deal. I'm looking forward to the August 7 company report to learn more. Disclosure: I own shares of CYBR for the Zacks TAZR Trader portfolio. Bear of the Day: Centene Corp., a giant of managed care expected to cross $175 billion in revenues this year, unexpectedly pulled its earnings guidance for 2025 on July 2. This change came after an unexpected shift in the dynamics of the health Insurance Marketplace, which could impact earnings more significantly than what was initially forecasted. The decision followed industry risk adjustment data from the independent actuarial firm Wakely, which analyzed 22 out of Centene's 29 Marketplace states, representing approximately 72% of its Marketplace membership. According to the company, these data showed higher-than-expected overall market morbidity and a slower pace of market growth. CNC is anticipating a shortfall of about $1.8 billion in net risk adjustment revenues, which would mean a $2.75 impact on adjusted diluted EPS for 2025. Although it does not have data from the other seven states, management anticipates a further decline in risk-adjusted revenues due to similar morbidity trends. Since the revelation, Wall Street analysts slashed their EPS projection for this year, cutting the Zacks profit consensus in half from $7.29 to $3.55 and discounting more of the unknowns. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Despite headwinds, CNC shared that the final 2024 risk-adjusted results from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services aligned with their expectations, and its Medicare Advantage and Medicare PDP segments are performing better than its expectations in the second quarter of 2025. However, Medicaid is facing challenges due to rising costs in behavioral health, home care and expensive medications, particularly in states like New York and Florida. As we look toward 2026, Centene is taking proactive steps to adjust its rates, aiming to account for a higher morbidity baseline. This adjustment is seen as a necessary move to help balance out potential losses. The company plans to make these pricing changes in the states where it conducts most of its marketplace business. The early refiling of 2026 rates by CNC suggests a more defensive pricing approach in the future. Typical of many Wall Street investment banks, Wells Fargo downgraded CNC shares to Equal-Weight and cut their price target from $72 to $30. A close look at second-quarter earnings and data analysis is required to move forward. CNC's second-quarter 2025 results are slated to be released on Friday July 25. Additional content: Palantir's Current Valuation Stretch or Fully Justified? Palantir Technologies has emerged as one of the most talked-about names in the S&P 500, and not just for what it does, but for what investors are willing to pay for it. With a market capitalization of $358 billion, it now surpasses giants like Coca-Cola and Bank of America. Yet, when viewed through a valuation lens, Palantir stands alone in its league. Its trailing 12-month price-to-earnings ratio exceeds 640X, and its forward 12-month multiple hovers above 225X. Even more striking is its enterprise value relative to forward 12-month revenue of more than 78X, a level rarely seen, even during the most exuberant periods in market history. By that metric, Palantir looks far more expensive than nearly every other established U.S. stock over the past two decades. Such elevated valuations raise the bar for future performance. For a company trading at these levels, expectations around revenue acceleration, margin expansion, and long-term scalability must not only be met; they must be exceeded. Even minor disappointments can trigger sharp corrections as multiples revert toward historical norms. Companies in the past that reached these kinds of revenue multiples — often 30x or higher — eventually faced tough questions about sustainability. Investor optimism alone is rarely enough to sustain prices when fundamentals don't keep up. The pattern is hard to ignore. When companies reach 30x sales or more, they often enter what is viewed as the 'bubble zone,' a place where expectations are sky-high and hard to maintain. Revenue growth typically slows, forecasts get downgraded and valuations eventually compress. In the short term, momentum can mask this risk, but over time, gravity tends to take hold. In conclusion, Palantir's valuation not only defies market norms but also places it well beyond even the exuberance seen in past bubbles. Unless its performance can defy history, the risk of multiple compression looms large. Investors should tread carefully. Stable Defense Alternatives to Palantir As PLTR's valuation moves higher, Lockheed Martin and RTX Corp. offer more grounded defense exposure. Lockheed Martin, with its massive defense contracts, provides steady cash flow and less volatility than PLTR. Its trailing 12-month price-to-earnings ratio is below 18X, and its forward 12-month multiple is just above 14X. Lockheed Martin continues to benefit from global rearmament while trading at modest earnings multiples. Similarly, RTX shines through missile systems. RTX's defense backlog, like LMT's, underscores its stability. Its trailing 12-month price-to-earnings ratio is below 44X, and its forward 12-month multiple is just above 23X. PLTR's Price Performance, Estimates The stock has surged a whopping 97% year to date, significantly outperforming the industry 's 19% rally. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for PLTR's earnings has remained unchanged over the past 30 days. PLTR stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Why Haven't You Looked at Zacks' Top Stocks? Since 2000, our top stock-picking strategies have blown away the S&P's +7.7% average gain per year. Amazingly, they soared with average gains of +48.4%, +50.2% and +56.7% per year. Today you can access their live picks without cost or obligation. See Stocks Free >> Media Contact Zacks Investment Research 800-767-3771 ext. 9339 provides investment resources and informs you of these resources, which you may choose to use in making your own investment decisions. Zacks is providing information on this resource to you subject to the Zacks "Terms and Conditions of Service" disclaimer. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days Just released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers "Most Likely for Early Price Pops." Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +23.5% per year. So be sure to give these hand picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT): Free Stock Analysis Report Centene Corporation (CNC): Free Stock Analysis Report CyberArk Software Ltd. (CYBR): Free Stock Analysis Report RTX Corporation (RTX): Free Stock Analysis Report Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR): Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (


Globe and Mail
15 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Better Buy: Dogecoin or Shiba Inu? The Answer Might Surprise You.
Key Points Dogecoin was the cryptocurrency industry's original meme token, whereas Shiba Inu was created to piggyback on its success years later. Both cryptos are trading way below their record highs, but they have soared during the past month on the back of new government legislation. Dogecoin and Shiba Inu are highly speculative assets, so investors should proceed with caution. 10 stocks we like better than Dogecoin › The website CoinGecko tracks nearly 17,000 different cryptocurrencies, and last week, their combined value topped $4 trillion for the first time ever. Bitcoin alone accounts for $2.4 trillion of that value, and it continues to march to new highs, but even some of the most speculative meme tokens are participating in the recent rally. Dogecoin (CRYPTO: DOGE) and Shiba Inu (CRYPTO: SHIB) have soared by 73% and 37%, respectively, during the past month. President Donald Trump's pro-crypto agenda continues to pick up steam, which is driving demand for coins and tokens from all corners of the industry. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Learn More » Last week, Congress passed the Genius Act, which lays out a new regulatory framework for stablecoins. And then there is the Clarity Act, which would shift crypto regulation from the Securities and Exchange Commission to the smaller Commodity Futures Trading Commission if it wins enough votes in the Senate. Can Dogecoin and Shiba Inu convert this sugar high from Washington into sustainable upside, and if so, which one is the better buy for the long term? Read on for the surprising answer. The case for Dogecoin In 2013, two friends named Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer believed the cryptocurrency industry was taking itself too seriously. Inspired by the popular Doge meme -- featuring a Shiba Inu dog -- that was spreading across the internet at the time, they launched Dogecoin. The entire exercise was a joke (in their own words), but that didn't stop their creation from reaching a peak market capitalization of about $90 billion in 2021. The coin's ascension was a community effort, but one person had more influence over its performance than any other: Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk. He started publicly supporting the meme token in 2019 and consistently promoted it with amusing posts on social media in the years that followed. On May 8, 2021, Musk participated in a Dogecoin-themed comedy sketch during an episode of Saturday Night Live. The token surged to a record high of $0.73 that night, but when investors realized Musk had no plan to create concrete value, they abandoned ship. Dogecoin lost more than 90% of its value by mid-2022, and it remained dormant in 2023 and for most of 2024 -- until Trump was elected president in November. Musk was a big supporter of Trump's campaign, and once elected, the president appointed him to run an external agency called the Department of Government Efficiency, which is tasked with reducing wasteful spending to address the national debt. The agency's name shortens to DOGE, which caused Dogecoin to more than triple in value to a new 52-week high of $0.47 on speculation that Musk might have a new plan for his favorite cryptocurrency. Its momentum faded when it became clear that Dogecoin would play no role in the agency. Despite its 73% gain during the past month, the token currently trades at just $0.28. If the Clarity Act creates a friendlier regulatory environment for all cryptocurrencies, as expected, it might pave the way for new uses for meme tokens like Dogecoin. Any development that drives sustainable adoption could send it soaring, but it's unclear whether that will actually happen. The case for Shiba Inu Shiba Inu is another popular meme token, but it did something in 2021 that no other financial asset -- let alone a cryptocurrency -- has ever done: It generated an annual return of 45,278,000% that year, which would have been enough to turn a perfectly timed investment of just $3 into over $1 million. An anonymous developer named Ryoshi created Shiba Inu in late 2020 to ride the same speculative wave that was driving Dogecoin higher. It was actually dubbed the "Dogecoin killer" by investors who were optimistic it could overtake its older rival in popularity. Shiba Inu didn't have an influential figure like Elon Musk in its corner, but its rapidly rising value prompted a flurry of top exchanges like Coinbase and Binance to add it to their platforms, which made it accessible to troves of new investors. Then, like Dogecoin, Shiba Inu lost more than 90% of its peak value once the hype wore off in 2022. It still hasn't found a legitimate use in the real world, so most recovery attempts have faltered. It's too volatile for businesses to accept as payment for products and services, and it certainly isn't a good store of value since it's still trading 83% below its record high. Moreover, Shiba Inu has a supply problem. There are 589.2 trillion tokens in circulation, which is why it trades at a tiny price per token of $0.000015. If it were to rise to $1 per token, for example, it would result in a market capitalization of $589.2 trillion, which would make it the most valuable asset in the entire world by a wide margin. At that level, Shiba Inu would be worth roughly 19 times more than the annual output of the entire U.S. economy, which was $29.7 trillion last year. There is no obvious catalyst that could spark another historic rally in Shiba Inu, but like Dogecoin, it could benefit from any deregulatory efforts that pave the way for new uses. The surprising verdict Shiba Inu's enormous circulating supply is very slowly shrinking as some investors are voluntarily burning the coins. Dogecoin, on the other hand, has a potentially infinite supply -- a capped amount of new tokens are mined each year, but there is no end date, which means existing investors will be diluted until the end of time. For that reason, if I had to invest in one of these meme tokens, I would probably pick Shiba Inu. However, I would actually recommend that investors avoid both of them. The fact that neither of them have reclaimed their all-time highs from 2021 highlights the pitfalls of investing in speculative assets. With no concrete fundamentals to support the value of Dogecoin or Shiba Inu, not only is a recovery unlikely, but they will probably trend lower over the long term. Investors who want some exposure to cryptocurrencies should probably consider an industry leader like Bitcoin instead. Should you invest $1,000 in Dogecoin right now? Before you buy stock in Dogecoin, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Dogecoin wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $641,800!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,023,813!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,034% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 180% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 21, 2025


Globe and Mail
15 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
2 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stocks to Buy Before They Soar 100% and 184%, According to Wall Street Analysts
Key Points Certain Wall Street analysts think Palantir Technologies and AppLovin are well positioned to benefit as artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes industries. Palantir is a leader in AI and decision intelligence platforms, but the stock unfortunately trades at an absurdly rich valuation. AppLovin's differentiated AI ad targeting engine is driving strong sales growth, and the stock currently trades at a reasonable valuation. 10 stocks we like better than Palantir Technologies › Artificial intelligence (AI) promises to be one of the most transformative technologies in human history, and certain Wall Street analysts think Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ: PLTR) and AppLovin (NASDAQ: APP) are particularly well positioned to benefit. Dan Ives at Wedbush Securities says Palantir will be $1 trillion company in two or three years. That implies 184% upside from its current market value of $352 billion. Brian Nowak at Morgan Stanley recently increased his 12-month bull-case target price on AppLovin to $700 per share. That implies 100% upside from its current share price of $350. Here's what investors should know about Palantir and AppLovin. Palantir Technologies: 184% implied upside Palantir develops data analytics software that lets customers integrate, secure, and make sense of complex information. Its adjacent artificial intelligence platform, AIP, functions as a large language model orchestration tool that supports the automation of data analytics workflows with generative AI. Forrester Research recently ranked Palantir as a leader in AI platforms. Importantly, Palantir's platforms create a feedback loop that not only optimizes decision-making, but also identifies increasingly relevant insights over time. The company says its ontology-based software -- which links data to real-world assets -- is unique in its ability to operationalize AI. Put differently, Palantir can move AI prototypes into production more effectively than its competitors. Palantir reported strong first-quarter financial results. Revenue rose 39% to $884 million, the seventh straight acceleration, due to particularly strong momentum among U.S. commercial and government customers. Non-GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) earnings increased 62% to $0.13 per diluted share. Management also raised full-year guidance, such that revenue is forecast to increase 36% in 2025. Unfortunately, Palantir trades at a shockingly rich 325 times adjusted earnings. That looks particularly absurd for a company whose adjusted earnings are forecast to increase at 30% annually through 2026. While Palantir could be a $1 trillion company in the future, I doubt it will reach that milestone in two or three years. Investors should wait for a better entry point before buying shares. AppLovin: 100% implied upside AppLovin is an adtech company that has traditionally helped game developers market, monetize, and analyze their applications. But the company has more recently expanded its addressable market by introducing adtech software for e-commerce brands. Importantly, AppLovin has differentiated itself with what Morgan Stanley calls a "best-in-class machine learning ad engine." To elaborate, AppLovin's recommendation engine (called Axon) leans on sophisticated AI models to match advertiser demand with the most appropriate publisher supply through auctions, thereby helping brands maximize return on ad spend. It benefits from a network effect. As more companies use Axon, AppLovin collects more data that further enhances the capabilities of its targeting engine. AppLovin reported encouraging first-quarter financial results. Revenue surged 40% to $1.4 billion, as strong momentum in the advertising segment offset a sales decline in the mobile games segment. Meanwhile, GAAP earnings increased 149% to $1.67 per diluted share. The company guided for 69% advertising sales growth in the second quarter. Importantly, while AppLovin has traditionally been a managed service, the company is now testing a self-service platform that affords brands greater control. CEO Adam Foroughi told analysts: "It will take a few quarters to refine these tools for broader release. But when we launch self-service globally, we expect it to unlock a massive opportunity." Wall Street expects AppLovin's earnings to grow at 55% annually through 2026. That makes the current valuation of 64 times earnings look reasonable. It is possible for the stock to return 100% in the next year, as Morgan Stanley projects in its bull-case scenario, but patient investors should feel comfortable owning the stock even if that doesn't happen. Should you invest $1,000 in Palantir Technologies right now? Before you buy stock in Palantir Technologies, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Palantir Technologies wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $641,800!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,023,813!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,034% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 180% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 21, 2025