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

Key Points

• Loop Capital has increased its price target for Norfolk Southern from $235.00 to $278.00, maintaining a "hold" rating on the railroad operator's stock.
• Other brokerages, including Citigroup and Jefferies Financial Group, have also revised their price targets, with a consensus target now at $286.25.
• Norfolk Southern reported $3.29 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations by $0.05, contributing to its strong performance in trading.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) had its price target raised by equities research analysts at Loop Capital from $235.00 to $278.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a "hold" rating on the railroad operator's stock. Loop Capital's price target would suggest a potential downside of 2.09% from the company's current price.

NSC has been the subject of several other research reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $279.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price 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. TD Cowen raised shares of Norfolk Southern from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the company from $263.00 to $323.00 in a report on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Susquehanna reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $260.00 target price (up from $250.00) on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $286.25.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NSC stock traded up $1.26 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $283.94. 2,712,265 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,921,810. The company has a market capitalization of $63.78 billion, a PE ratio of 19.19, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.29. Norfolk Southern has a 52 week low of $201.63 and a 52 week high of $291.69. The business has a 50 day moving average of $277.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $251.66. 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 (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.29 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.24 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $3.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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. Analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 31.5% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 11,319,010 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $2,680,910,000 after buying an additional 2,710,930 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter valued at $613,255,000. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter valued at $321,393,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Norfolk Southern by 25,555.7% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 989,796 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $234,433,000 after acquiring an additional 985,938 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 550.6% during the 2nd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 983,366 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $251,712,000 after buying an additional 832,210 shares in the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Norfolk Southern

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.