Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Price Target Raised to $330.00 at Susquehanna

Key Points

• Susquehanna raised its price target on Norfolk Southern to $330 from $305 while keeping a "neutral" rating, implying roughly a 5.36% upside from the prior close.
• Shares traded up about 5% to $313.22 and sit near a 12-month high of $319.94; analysts' consensus is "Hold" with an average price target of $310.17 (7 Buys, 16 Holds).
• Norfolk Southern beat quarterly EPS estimates ($3.22 vs. $2.76) though revenue was slightly below expectations, and the company reported a 23.6% net margin and 18.8% return on equity.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) had its price target boosted by stock analysts at Susquehanna from $305.00 to $330.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The firm presently has a "neutral" rating on the railroad operator's stock. Susquehanna's price objective points to a potential upside of 5.36% from the stock's previous close.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $350.00 to $310.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Rothschild & Co Redburn reduced their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $317.00 to $308.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $322.00 to $313.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Norfolk Southern from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Norfolk Southern to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, April 4th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $310.17.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 5.0%

Shares of NYSE NSC traded up $14.89 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $313.22. 238,294 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,286,637. Norfolk Southern has a 12-month low of $217.33 and a 12-month high of $319.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.85. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $299.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $293.40. The firm has a market cap of $76.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.56, a P/E/G ratio of 5.57 and a beta of 1.31.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.46. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 23.59% and a return on equity of 18.78%. The company had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.04 earnings per share. Norfolk Southern's quarterly revenue was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Norfolk Southern will post 12.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Tritonpoint Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 3.5% in the third quarter. Tritonpoint Wealth LLC now owns 1,041 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $313,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.6% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Wealth Management now owns 5,986 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,798,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 2,515 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $726,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 791 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $228,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Confluence Wealth Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 3,090 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $892,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Norfolk Southern Company Profile

Norfolk Southern Corporation is a major U.S. freight railroad company that provides rail transportation and related logistics services. As a Class I carrier, the company operates an extensive network across the eastern United States and offers scheduled freight service for a broad range of industries. Its core operations include long-haul and regional rail freight transportation, intermodal services that move containers and trailers between rail and other modes, and terminal and switching services that support efficient rail shipments for industrial and port customers.

The company transports a variety of commodities, serving sectors such as coal and energy, automotive and automotive parts, chemicals, agriculture, metals and construction materials, and consumer goods.

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