Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Price Target Raised to $330.00 at Susquehanna

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its price objective boosted by equities researchers at Susquehanna from $305.00 to $330.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the railroad operator’s stock. Susquehanna’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 5.36% from the company’s current price.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on NSC. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $350.00 to $310.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 6th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Norfolk Southern from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Rothschild & Co Redburn dropped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $317.00 to $308.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $310.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $340.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $310.17.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 5.0%

Shares of NYSE NSC traded up $14.89 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $313.22. The stock had a trading volume of 238,294 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,286,637. The company has a market cap of $76.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.56, a PEG ratio of 5.57 and a beta of 1.31. The business’s 50 day moving average is $299.37 and its 200-day moving average is $293.40. Norfolk Southern has a 52 week low of $217.33 and a 52 week high of $319.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.46. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 23.59% and a return on equity of 18.78%. The company had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.04 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Norfolk Southern will post 12.15 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. ORG Partners LLC raised its position in Norfolk Southern by 75.0% in the third quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 84 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Norfolk Southern by 207.1% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 86 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the period. BNP Paribas bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, GoalVest Advisory LLC raised its position in Norfolk Southern by 933.3% in the fourth quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 93 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Corporation is a major U.S. freight railroad company that provides rail transportation and related logistics services. As a Class I carrier, the company operates an extensive network across the eastern United States and offers scheduled freight service for a broad range of industries. Its core operations include long-haul and regional rail freight transportation, intermodal services that move containers and trailers between rail and other modes, and terminal and switching services that support efficient rail shipments for industrial and port customers.

The company transports a variety of commodities, serving sectors such as coal and energy, automotive and automotive parts, chemicals, agriculture, metals and construction materials, and consumer goods.