Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Given New $278.00 Price Target at Loop Capital

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 objective boosted by equities researchers at Loop Capital from $235.00 to $278.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has a "hold" rating on the railroad operator's stock. Loop Capital's target price indicates a potential downside of 2.09% from the stock's current price.

NSC has been the subject of a number of other reports. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an "in-line" rating and set a $289.00 price target (up from $279.00) on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Friday, July 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $288.00 price target (up from $282.00) on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. TD Cowen raised shares of Norfolk Southern from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $263.00 to $323.00 in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $286.25.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NSC stock traded up $1.26 on Tuesday, reaching $283.94. 2,712,265 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,921,810. The stock has a market cap of $63.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.29. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average of $277.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $251.58. Norfolk Southern has a 1-year low of $201.63 and a 1-year high of $291.69.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 1,640 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $420,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Horan Securities Inc. increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Horan Securities Inc. now owns 1,764 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $452,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Gables Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. Gables Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,466 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $375,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 1,420 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $363,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,429 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $622,000 after acquiring an additional 40 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.