Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Price Target Raised to $305.00 at BMO Capital Markets

Key Points

• Norfolk Southern's target price was raised from $285.00 to $305.00 by BMO Capital Markets, indicating a potential upside of 7.44% based on its last closing price.
• The company's recent quarterly earnings report showed a slight miss on EPS estimates at $3.30 compared to the expected $3.31, with revenues of $3.10 billion.
• Analyst ratings for Norfolk Southern are mixed, with eight rating it as a Buy and fourteen giving it a Hold, leading to an average price target of $295.85.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) had its target price hoisted by investment analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $285.00 to $305.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "market perform" rating on the railroad operator's stock. BMO Capital Markets' price target suggests a potential upside of 7.44% from the stock's previous close.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered shares of Norfolk Southern from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Loop Capital lifted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $235.00 to $278.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $295.85.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NSC opened at $283.89 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $63.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.33. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $285.79 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $261.68. Norfolk Southern has a 12 month low of $201.63 and a 12 month high of $302.24. 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 Thursday, October 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.31 by ($0.01). Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 27.51% and a return on equity of 19.35%. The business had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.25 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Norfolk Southern

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NSC. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,706 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $400,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 8.3% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,179 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $990,000 after purchasing an additional 321 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 5.8% in the first quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 7,025 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,664,000 after purchasing an additional 384 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 13.3% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 18,012 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $4,267,000 after purchasing an additional 2,115 shares during the period. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2,038.9% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 385 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $91,000 after purchasing an additional 367 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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