Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Earns "Sector Perform" Rating from Royal Bank of Canada

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "sector perform" rating reaffirmed by analysts at Royal Bank of Canada in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $270.00 target price on the railroad operator's stock. Royal Bank of Canada's price target would indicate a potential upside of 8.15% from the stock's current price.

NSC has been the topic of several other research reports. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $250.00 to $245.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. TheStreet raised Norfolk Southern from a "c+" rating to a "b-" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 21st. Susquehanna upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $236.00 to $253.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $261.72.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NYSE NSC traded down $3.74 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $249.65. 1,070,458 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,307,096. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $254.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $228.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.13, a PEG ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.14. Norfolk Southern has a fifty-two week low of $183.09 and a fifty-two week high of $263.66.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at $2,933,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at $1,444,000. Comerica Bank acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the second quarter valued at $48,259,000. Pathstone Family Office LLC increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 200.1% in the third quarter. Pathstone Family Office LLC now owns 16,077 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $3,198,000 after purchasing an additional 10,719 shares during the period. Finally, ClearBridge Investments Ltd acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the third quarter valued at $34,973,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently 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.