The Goldman Sachs Group Reiterates "Neutral" Rating for Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC)

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "neutral" rating reissued by investment analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group in a research report issued on Monday, MarketBeat.com reports. They presently have a $278.00 price target on the railroad operator's stock. The Goldman Sachs Group's target price would suggest a potential upside of 12.40% from the stock's previous close.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $293.00 target price for the company. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $269.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on Norfolk Southern from $271.00 to $270.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $260.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Loop Capital downgraded Norfolk Southern from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $289.00 to $256.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $267.24.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of NSC traded down $0.08 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $247.32. 463,720 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,220,218. The business's 50-day moving average price is $228.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $240.90. Norfolk Southern has a 1 year low of $201.63 and a 1 year high of $277.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.39, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.72 by ($0.03). Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.04%. The business had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.49 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,694,573 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,098,472,000 after acquiring an additional 113,648 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,796,000. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC increased its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 5,678 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,333,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Hoge Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth about $238,000. Finally, Spire Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 19.0% in the fourth quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 6,641 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,559,000 after buying an additional 1,062 shares in the last quarter. 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.