Robert W. Baird Has Lowered Expectations for Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Stock Price

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its price objective decreased by equities research analysts at Robert W. Baird from $293.00 to $288.00 in a research report issued on Friday,MarketScreener reports. Robert W. Baird’s price objective would suggest a potential downside of 1.17% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on NSC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $301.00 to $296.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $314.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Norfolk Southern from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $321.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Wolfe Research lifted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $361.00 to $368.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $303.32.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.4%

NSC stock opened at $291.40 on Friday. Norfolk Southern has a 52 week low of $201.63 and a 52 week high of $302.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The company has a market cap of $65.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.86, a P/E/G ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 1.33. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $290.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $285.67.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In other news, Director William Jr. Clyburn acquired 204 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 5th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $294.79 per share, with a total value of $60,137.16. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 405 shares in the company, valued at $119,389.95. This represents a 101.49% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 1,650 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $282.97 per share, for a total transaction of $466,900.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 12,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,395,640. This trade represents a 15.94% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of NSC. ORG Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 75.0% in the third quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 84 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 207.1% during the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 86 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, GoalVest Advisory LLC increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

More Norfolk Southern News

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.

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.