Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Stock Rating Upgraded by Argus

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) was upgraded by analysts at Argus to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on NSC. Morgan Stanley upgraded Norfolk Southern from an “equal weight” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Benchmark reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $293.00 to $288.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, UBS Group cut shares of Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $342.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $304.47.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NYSE:NSC opened at $313.10 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $297.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $290.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The stock has a market cap of $70.31 billion, a PE ratio of 24.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.62 and a beta of 1.34. Norfolk Southern has a fifty-two week low of $201.63 and a fifty-two week high of $319.94.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.46. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 23.59% and a return on equity of 18.78%. The firm had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.04 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Norfolk Southern will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In other news, Director William Jr. Clyburn purchased 204 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 5th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $294.79 per share, for a total transaction of $60,137.16. Following the completion of 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Norfolk Southern

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. ORG Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 75.0% during the 3rd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 84 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its position 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 period. BNP Paribas acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, GoalVest Advisory LLC grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 933.3% in 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 period. 75.10% of the stock is 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.