Susquehanna Boosts Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Price Target to $360.00

Key Points

• Susquehanna raised its price target on Norfolk Southern from $337 to $360, while keeping a neutral rating. The new target implies about 9.8% upside from the prior close.
• Other firms have been mixed on the railroad operator, with recent targets ranging from $320 to $365 and ratings spanning buy, neutral, and overweight. MarketBeat says the stock’s overall consensus remains Hold with an average price target of $328.
• Norfolk Southern recently reported EPS of $2.65, beating expectations, though revenue came in below estimates at $3 billion. The stock was trading near $327.85, close to its 52-week high.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) had its price target boosted by equities research analysts at Susquehanna from $337.00 to $360.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "neutral" rating on the railroad operator's stock. Susquehanna's price target would indicate a potential upside of 9.81% from the company's previous close.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on NSC. UBS Group set a $327.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $335.00 to $351.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $360.00 to $320.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $328.00.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 0.1%

Norfolk Southern stock opened at $327.85 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.91. Norfolk Southern has a fifty-two week low of $257.49 and a fifty-two week high of $329.05. The stock has a market cap of $73.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.62, a PEG ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 1.27. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $313.27 and its 200-day moving average price is $303.34.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.49 by $0.16. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 18.30% and a net margin of 21.91%.The business had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.13 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.69 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern will post 12.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NSC. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC raised its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 933.3% during the 4th quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 93 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Norfolk Southern by 239.3% during the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 95 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. FNY Investment Advisers LLC grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 669.2% in the 3rd quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 100 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company's stock.

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.

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