Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Price Target Raised to $286.00

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its price objective hoisted by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $284.00 to $286.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the railroad operator’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price target suggests a potential upside of 10.40% from the company’s current price.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $291.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $263.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $277.94.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:NSC traded up $2.31 on Thursday, hitting $259.05. 109,035 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,215,178. Norfolk Southern has a 1-year low of $206.71 and a 1-year high of $277.60. The company has a market capitalization of $58.61 billion, a PE ratio of 24.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.73. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $249.36 and its 200 day moving average is $248.69.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 19.85% and a return on equity of 20.25%. Sell-side analysts predict that Norfolk Southern will post 11.78 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 350 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $249.37 per share, for a total transaction of $87,279.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 10,350 shares in the company, valued at $2,580,979.50. This represents a 3.50 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its stake in Norfolk Southern by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 3,349 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $786,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 86,396 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $20,325,000 after buying an additional 1,222 shares during the period. Avestar Capital LLC grew its position in Norfolk Southern by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 1,068 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $251,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Ingalls & Snyder LLC grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Ingalls & Snyder LLC now owns 51,647 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $12,122,000 after purchasing an additional 1,148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,309,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the rail transportation of raw materials, intermediate products, and finished goods in the United States. The company transports agriculture, forest, and consumer products comprising soybeans, wheat, corn, fertilizers, livestock and poultry feed, food products, food oils, flour, sweeteners, ethanol, lumber and wood products, pulp board and paper products, wood fibers, wood pulp, beverages, and canned goods; chemicals consist of sulfur and related chemicals, petroleum products comprising crude oil, chlorine and bleaching compounds, plastics, rubber, industrial chemicals, chemical wastes, sand, and natural gas liquids; metals and construction materials, such as steel, aluminum products, machinery, scrap metals, cement, aggregates, minerals, clay, transportation equipment, and military-related products; and automotive, including finished motor vehicles and automotive parts, as well as coal.