Norfolk Southern's (NSC) "Hold" Rating Reiterated at Jefferies Financial Group

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group has reiterated a "hold" rating on Norfolk Southern (NSC) with a target price of $300.00, indicating a potential upside of 7.78% from its current price.
• Norfolk Southern's recent earnings report showed a miss on earnings per share, reporting $2.69 against expectations of $2.72, with a revenue of $2.99 billion.
• Analysts' consensus for Norfolk Southern currently stands at a Moderate Buy rating, with a consensus target price of $282.50.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "hold" rating reaffirmed by investment analysts at Jefferies Financial Group in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $300.00 target price on the railroad operator's stock. Jefferies Financial Group's target price would indicate a potential upside of 7.78% from the company's current price.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on NSC. Baird R W raised shares of Norfolk Southern to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. TD Cowen raised shares of Norfolk Southern from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the company from $263.00 to $323.00 in a research report on Monday. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $255.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $282.50.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Norfolk Southern stock opened at $278.34 on Friday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $255.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $242.91. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.75 billion, a PE ratio of 19.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.31. Norfolk Southern has a 1-year low of $201.63 and a 1-year high of $288.11.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.72 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.01 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 19.65% and a net margin of 27.40%. The business's revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.49 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Norfolk Southern will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Greenline Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, HWG Holdings LP acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the first quarter worth $35,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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