Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Price Target Raised to $270.00 at Loop Capital

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) had its price objective raised by analysts at Loop Capital from $261.00 to $270.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "buy" rating on the railroad operator's stock. Loop Capital's target price indicates a potential upside of 12.44% from the company's previous close.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $270.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of 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. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Monday, April 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $300.00 target price for the company. UBS Group raised shares of Norfolk Southern from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $238.00 to $302.00 in a research note on Monday, March 4th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $236.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $262.74.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NYSE NSC traded up $0.78 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $240.12. 922,154 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,275,277. Norfolk Southern has a 1 year low of $183.09 and a 1 year high of $263.66. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $253.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $230.45. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $59.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.94, a P/E/G ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 26th. The railroad operator reported $2.83 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.42 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern will post 11.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Norfolk Southern

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at $2,933,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at $1,444,000. Pathstone Family Office LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 200.1% during the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Family Office LLC now owns 16,077 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $3,198,000 after buying an additional 10,719 shares in the last quarter. ClearBridge Investments Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter valued at $34,973,000. Finally, LPL Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 9.8% during the 3rd quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 187,259 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $36,877,000 after buying an additional 16,727 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company's stock.

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.