Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Price Target Raised to $305.00

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its price target increased by analysts at Susquehanna from $304.00 to $305.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the railroad operator’s stock. Susquehanna’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 4.67% from the stock’s current price.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $317.00 to $300.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $301.00 to $296.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Wolfe Research upped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $361.00 to $368.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $340.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $303.32.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Norfolk Southern stock opened at $291.40 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $290.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $285.67. Norfolk Southern has a 52 week low of $201.63 and a 52 week high of $302.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.86, a PEG ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.46. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 18.78% and a net margin of 23.59%.The business had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.04 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Norfolk Southern news, EVP Anil Bhatt sold 900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.60, for a total value of $253,440.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $397,900.80. This represents a 38.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 1,650 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $282.97 per share, for a total transaction of $466,900.50. Following the purchase, the director owned 12,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,395,640. The trade was a 15.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NSC. Tritonpoint Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 3.5% in the third quarter. Tritonpoint Wealth LLC now owns 1,041 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $313,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Wealth Management boosted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 0.6% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Wealth Management now owns 5,986 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,798,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 2,515 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $726,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 791 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $228,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Confluence Wealth Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 3,090 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $892,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Norfolk Southern

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

• Positive Sentiment: NSC reported quarterly EPS that beat consensus (reported $3.22 vs. ~ $2.76 expected), driven by pricing and cost control that lifted margins and helped results despite softer volumes. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Company highlighted sustained productivity improvements and over $215 million in annual savings for the full year, which supports cashflow and profitability going forward. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Operating-performance metrics beat some expectations (operating ratio ~68.5%), and management emphasized cost discipline as a buffer against a challenging macro backdrop. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript, slide deck and detailed presentation are available for investors who want forward guidance and segment-level color. These materials are useful for assessing whether productivity gains and pricing can continue. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Benzinga ran an “Expert Outlook” summarizing the views of eight analysts — useful for gauging consensus and differing assumptions on volumes, pricing and margin recovery. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue slightly missed expectations (reported ~$3.0B vs. ~$3.03B consensus), reflecting weaker volumes — a reminder that top-line risk remains if demand softens. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Two large firms trimmed price targets (JPMorgan: $301 → $296; Citigroup: $317 → $300) and keep neutral ratings, which caps near-term analyst-driven upside despite the beat. Read More.

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.