Jefferies Financial Group Begins Coverage on Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC)

Investment analysts at Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage set a "buy" rating and a $300.00 price target on the railroad operator's stock. Jefferies Financial Group's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 19.88% from the company's previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on NSC. Susquehanna raised their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. TheStreet upgraded Norfolk Southern from a "c+" rating to a "b-" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 21st. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $215.00 to $207.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $236.00 to $253.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $255.18.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE NSC traded up $0.23 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $250.26. 861,914 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,310,684. Norfolk Southern has a 1 year low of $183.09 and a 1 year high of $263.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.20, a PEG ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 1.30. 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 business has a 50 day moving average of $253.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $228.26.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 26th. The railroad operator reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.87 by ($0.04). Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 15.03% and a return on equity of 21.06%. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.42 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern will post 12.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its position in Norfolk Southern by 662.5% in the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 122 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Provence Wealth Management Group bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.