Royal Bank Of Canada Increases Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Price Target to $360.00

Key Points

• Royal Bank of Canada raised its price target on Norfolk Southern to $360 from $310 and kept a "sector perform" rating, implying roughly 12.47% upside from the recent stock price.
• The Street consensus is a Hold with an average target of $315.61 — seven analysts rate Buy and sixteen rate Hold, reflecting mixed sentiment and several recent target cuts.
• Norfolk Southern beat Q1 EPS estimates ($2.65 vs. $2.49) but missed revenue expectations and is facing margin pressure from rising fuel and merger-related costs; the company also declared a $1.35 quarterly dividend.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by Royal Bank Of Canada from $310.00 to $360.00 in a research note issued on Friday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a "sector perform" rating on the railroad operator's stock. Royal Bank Of Canada's price objective points to a potential upside of 12.47% from the stock's current price.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $350.00 to $310.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Benchmark restated a "hold" rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $322.00 to $313.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Barclays cut their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $340.00 to $320.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $314.00 to $313.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $315.61.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 0.4%

NYSE:NSC opened at $320.08 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $299.61 and a 200-day simple moving average of $293.74. Norfolk Southern has a one year low of $218.05 and a one year high of $323.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.85. The firm has a market cap of $78.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.10, a P/E/G ratio of 5.92 and a beta of 1.31.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.49 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.13 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 18.78% and a net margin of 23.59%.Norfolk Southern's revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.69 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern will post 12.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,084,701,000. Pentwater Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter worth about $826,128,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 545.2% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,306,203 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $392,396,000 after purchasing an additional 1,103,748 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the third quarter valued at $329,629,000. Finally, HBK Investments L P grew its stake in Norfolk Southern by 67.7% in the 4th quarter. HBK Investments L P now owns 2,130,000 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $614,974,000 after buying an additional 860,000 shares during the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Norfolk Southern

Here are the key news stories impacting Norfolk Southern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen reiterated a Buy, citing cost discipline, productivity gains and improving intermodal trends that support longer‑term revenue and margin recovery. Norfolk Southern: Cost Discipline, Productivity Gains, and Improving Intermodal Trends Support Buy Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Norfolk Southern beat some sell‑side estimates (Zacks consensus) on Q1 earnings per share, showing operational resilience despite a tougher cost backdrop. Norfolk Southern (NSC) Q1 Earnings and Revenues Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The company declared a $1.35 quarterly dividend, supporting total shareholder return and income investors. Norfolk Southern Declares Quarterly Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Susquehanna raised its price target to $330 but kept a Neutral rating, signaling modest upside recognition without a conviction upgrade. Susquehanna adjusts price target on Norfolk Southern to $330 from $305; maintains neutral rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Company materials and the earnings‑call transcript provide operational detail (operating ratio, segment trends and slide deck) investors can use to model recovery timing. Norfolk Southern Corporation (NSC) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Fuel costs and other expense increases materially pressured profit; Reuters/Benzinga coverage notes first‑quarter profit slipped as fuel and incident/merger costs rose, creating near‑term margin headwinds. Norfolk Southern Is Managing 'Dramatic Rise In Fuel' Cost
• Negative Sentiment: Results were mixed versus the broader Street: revenue was essentially flat year‑over‑year and NSC missed some consensus figures, which helps explain intraday downward pressure despite selective beats. Norfolk Southern first-quarter profit slips as fuel and costs rise

About Norfolk Southern

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.