Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Given New $337.00 Price Target at Susquehanna

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its target price increased by Susquehanna from $330.00 to $337.00 in a research note issued on Friday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the railroad operator’s stock. Susquehanna’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 7.59% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research firms have also commented on NSC. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, April 24th. TD Cowen upped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $313.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $308.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. UBS Group set a $327.00 price objective on Norfolk Southern in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Norfolk Southern from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $322.71.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NYSE:NSC traded up $6.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $313.22. 67,042 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,260,176. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $305.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $298.97. Norfolk Southern has a 1-year low of $247.85 and a 1-year high of $326.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.34 billion, a PE ratio of 26.37, a PEG ratio of 5.64 and a beta of 1.27.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.49 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.13 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.91% and a return on equity of 18.30%. Norfolk Southern’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.69 EPS. Research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern will post 12.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Norfolk Southern

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NSC. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,084,701,000. Pentwater Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern in the third quarter worth approximately $826,128,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 545.2% in the third 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 worth $392,396,000 after buying an additional 1,103,748 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter valued at approximately $329,629,000. Finally, HBK Investments L P raised its position in Norfolk Southern by 67.7% during the fourth quarter. HBK Investments L P now owns 2,130,000 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $614,974,000 after acquiring an additional 860,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

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.