Rothschild & Co Redburn Boosts Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Price Target to $315.00

Key Points

• Rothschild & Co Redburn raised its price target for Norfolk Southern to $315 from $308 while maintaining a neutral rating, implying only about a 0.7% upside from the prior close.
• The analyst mix is mixed but skews toward a Hold consensus (average price target $320.67), with some firms raising targets to the low-$300s (e.g., Baird $330, TD Cowen $337) and others cutting theirs (Jefferies $310).
• Norfolk Southern beat Q1 EPS expectations ($2.65 vs. $2.49) while revenue slightly missed, and the stock was trading around $312.81, near its one-year high of $323.37.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) had its target price raised by analysts at Rothschild & Co Redburn from $308.00 to $315.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The firm presently has a "neutral" rating on the railroad operator's stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn's price objective points to a potential upside of 0.70% from the company's previous close.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Benchmark reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Norfolk Southern to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 4th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $350.00 to $310.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 6th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $315.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $313.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $320.67.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock opened at $312.81 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $70.25 billion, a PE ratio of 26.30, a P/E/G ratio of 5.89 and a beta of 1.31. Norfolk Southern has a 1 year low of $218.05 and a 1 year high of $323.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $299.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $294.20.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.49 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.13 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.91% and a return on equity of 18.30%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.69 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern will post 12.11 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. ORG Partners LLC boosted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 75.0% during the third quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 84 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 207.1% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 86 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, GoalVest Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 933.3% during the fourth quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 93 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Company Profile

Norfolk Southern Corporation is a major U.S. freight railroad company that provides rail transportation and related logistics services. As a Class I carrier, the company operates an extensive network across the eastern United States and offers scheduled freight service for a broad range of industries. Its core operations include long-haul and regional rail freight transportation, intermodal services that move containers and trailers between rail and other modes, and terminal and switching services that support efficient rail shipments for industrial and port customers.

The company transports a variety of commodities, serving sectors such as coal and energy, automotive and automotive parts, chemicals, agriculture, metals and construction materials, and consumer goods.

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