Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen changed its rating on Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) to a "sell", while overall analyst coverage remains weighted to Hold with 7 Buys, 17 Holds and an average price target of $307.89.
• Norfolk Southern reported quarterly EPS of $3.22, beating estimates of $2.76, but revenue slightly missed at $3.0B; shares opened at $288.18 and are trading below the 50‑day moving average of $299.90.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen to a "sell" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on NSC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $301.00 to $296.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Evercore increased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $298.00 to $299.00 in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $310.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, Benchmark restated a "hold" rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, January 30th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $307.89.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NSC stock opened at $288.18 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The company has a market capitalization of $70.55 billion, a PE ratio of 22.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.25 and a beta of 1.31. The firm's 50-day moving average is $299.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $292.90. Norfolk Southern has a 12 month low of $201.63 and a 12 month high of $319.94.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.46. The business had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.03 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 23.59% and a return on equity of 18.78%. The business's revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.04 EPS. Analysts predict that Norfolk Southern will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Norfolk Southern

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,706 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $400,000 after buying an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 40.4% during the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,447 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,527,000 after acquiring an additional 1,855 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the second quarter worth $327,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 64.1% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 4,275 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,094,000 after acquiring an additional 1,670 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CW Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 7.3% in the second quarter. CW Advisors LLC now owns 10,893 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $2,789,000 after acquiring an additional 743 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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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