JPMorgan Chase & Co. Increases Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Price Target to $303.00

Key Points

• JPMorgan Chase & Co. has raised its price target for Norfolk Southern from $288.00 to $303.00, while maintaining a "neutral" rating on the railroad's stock.
• The consensus among research analysts shows an average rating of "Hold" for Norfolk Southern, with a price target of $293.25, indicating mixed future expectations.
• Norfolk Southern recently reported an EPS of $3.29 for the last quarter, surpassing analyst estimates and showcasing a strong net margin of 27.51%.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) had its target price boosted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $288.00 to $303.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "neutral" rating on the railroad operator's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price target suggests a potential upside of 2.11% from the stock's current price.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on NSC. Baird R W raised shares of Norfolk Southern to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "hold" rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Loop Capital boosted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $235.00 to $278.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $354.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $293.25.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Norfolk Southern stock traded up $0.89 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $296.75. The company's stock had a trading volume of 555,050 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,619,202. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.33. Norfolk Southern has a twelve month low of $201.63 and a twelve month high of $302.24. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $283.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $256.85.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BNP Paribas bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HWG Holdings LP acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 1st quarter worth about $35,000. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company's stock.

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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