Barclays Issues Positive Forecast for Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Stock Price

Key Points

• Barclays raised its target price for Norfolk Southern stock from $300.00 to $320.00, suggesting a potential upside of 7.17% from the current price.
• Other analysts have mixed ratings for the stock, with seven analysts giving a "Buy" rating while fourteen have rated it as "Hold," leading to a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $292.50.
• Norfolk Southern reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings, with an EPS of $3.29, beating estimates, and reported a revenue of $3.11 billion.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) had its target price hoisted by research analysts at Barclays from $300.00 to $320.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "overweight" rating on the railroad operator's stock. Barclays's price target points to a potential upside of 7.17% from the company's current price.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded Norfolk Southern from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. TD Cowen upgraded Norfolk Southern from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $263.00 to $323.00 in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Bank of America raised their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Benchmark lowered Norfolk Southern from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $292.50.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NYSE NSC opened at $298.60 on Thursday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $281.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $254.90. The company has a market capitalization of $67.07 billion, a PE ratio of 20.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. Norfolk Southern has a twelve month low of $201.63 and a twelve month high of $300.91.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.29 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.24 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $3.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.10 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 19.35% and a net margin of 27.51%. Norfolk Southern has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Norfolk Southern will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. BNP Paribas bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 423.8% in the 2nd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 110 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 58.5% in the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 130 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HWG Holdings LP bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 1st quarter worth $35,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Norfolk Southern Company Profile

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.

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