Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Price Target Cut to $315.00 by Analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada

Key Points

• Royal Bank of Canada has reduced its price target for Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $315.00, maintaining a "sector perform" rating, which indicates a potential upside of 11.72% from the stock's previous close.
• Norfolk Southern's latest earnings report showed an EPS of $3.30, slightly below analysts' expectations of $3.31, with revenues reaching $3.10 billion.
• Currently, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" with a consensus price target of $298.10, and it has seen mixed ratings from various analysts recently.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) had its target price dropped by Royal Bank Of Canada from $320.00 to $315.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "sector perform" rating on the railroad operator's stock. Royal Bank Of Canada's price objective suggests a potential upside of 11.72% from the stock's previous close.

NSC has been the topic of several other reports. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "hold" rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $314.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $255.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $289.00 to $298.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Eight research 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 company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $298.10.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NYSE NSC traded down $1.87 during trading on Friday, reaching $281.97. The company's stock had a trading volume of 227,537 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,582,937. Norfolk Southern has a one year low of $201.63 and a one year high of $302.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $285.79 and a 200 day moving average of $261.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $63.33 billion, a PE ratio of 19.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.33.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.30 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.31 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 19.35% and a net margin of 27.51%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.25 EPS. Analysts expect that Norfolk Southern will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of NSC. BNP Paribas purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the first quarter worth $27,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position 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 valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the period. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 68.9% during the 3rd quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 103 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC raised its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 58.5% during 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 during the period. Hedge funds and other 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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