Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Now Covered by Analysts at Robert W. Baird

Stock analysts at Robert W. Baird assumed coverage on shares of Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage set a "neutral" rating and a $255.00 price target on the railroad operator's stock. Robert W. Baird's price target would indicate a potential downside of 2.84% from the company's current price.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on NSC. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $260.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $247.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Susquehanna reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $260.00 target price (up from $250.00) on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $255.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $267.00.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NSC traded up $6.49 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $262.46. 1,309,416 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,229,329. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $240.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $239.15. Norfolk Southern has a 12-month low of $201.63 and a 12-month high of $277.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.78. The company has a market cap of $59.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.32.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.72 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.01 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 19.65% and a net margin of 27.40%. Norfolk Southern's quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.49 EPS. Research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Atlantic Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. 75.10% of the stock is 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.