Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Price Target Raised to $337.00 at TD Cowen

Key Points

• TD Cowen raised its price target on Norfolk Southern to $337 (from $313) and kept a "buy" rating, implying roughly a 5.9% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: the MarketBeat average target is $319.17, with seven analysts rating NSC a Buy and sixteen rating it a Hold, while recent targets among brokers range roughly from $308 to $355.
• Norfolk Southern beat EPS expectations in the latest quarter ($2.65 vs. $2.49 est.) but missed on revenue ($3.0B vs. $3.13B); shares trade near $318 with a market cap around $77.9B.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) had its price target increased by TD Cowen from $313.00 to $337.00 in a report released on Monday, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage currently has a "buy" rating on the railroad operator's stock. TD Cowen's target price would indicate a potential upside of 5.88% from the company's previous close.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on NSC. Rothschild & Co Redburn decreased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $317.00 to $308.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Argus raised shares of Norfolk Southern to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Susquehanna upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Benchmark reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Wolfe Research boosted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $319.17.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE NSC traded down $1.42 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $318.29. 26,209 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,281,289. Norfolk Southern has a 1 year low of $218.05 and a 1 year high of $323.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.91 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.91. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $299.61 and a 200 day moving average of $293.70.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.49 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.13 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.91% and a return on equity of 18.30%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.69 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern will post 12.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Norfolk Southern

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Park Place Capital Corp raised its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 13,000.0% during the third quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 3,668 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,102,000 after purchasing an additional 3,640 shares in the last quarter. Cullen Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Norfolk Southern by 31.8% in the 3rd quarter. Cullen Capital Management LLC now owns 121,351 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $36,455,000 after acquiring an additional 29,264 shares during the last quarter. Markel Group Inc. increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 256,500 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $77,055,000 after acquiring an additional 20,000 shares in the last quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth about $24,033,000. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the third quarter valued at about $2,165,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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