Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Price Target Increased to $244.00 by Analysts at Stifel Nicolaus

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) had its target price raised by analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $233.00 to $244.00 in a report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "hold" rating on the railroad operator's stock. Stifel Nicolaus' price target indicates a potential downside of 0.65% from the company's previous close.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. UBS Group upgraded Norfolk Southern from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $238.00 to $302.00 in a report on Monday, March 4th. Susquehanna decreased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $265.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Norfolk Southern from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $272.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $250.00 to $245.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $236.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $262.33.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of NSC traded down $4.14 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $245.59. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,090,600 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,296,217. The firm has a market cap of $60.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.62, a P/E/G ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern has a 1-year low of $183.09 and a 1-year high of $263.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. The company has a 50 day moving average of $253.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $229.21.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 26th. The railroad operator reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.87 by ($0.04). Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 21.06% and a net margin of 15.03%. The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.42 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Norfolk Southern will post 12.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the second quarter valued at $25,000. Worth Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the first quarter valued at $30,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 662.5% in the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 122 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the first quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Norfolk Southern

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.