Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Price Target Lowered to $288.00 at Robert W. Baird

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its price objective cut by Robert W. Baird from $293.00 to $288.00 in a research report report published on Friday morning,MarketScreener reports.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on NSC. UBS Group cut their price target on Norfolk Southern from $321.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 24th. Benchmark reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Friday. Citigroup lowered their target price on Norfolk Southern from $317.00 to $300.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Wolfe Research lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $361.00 to $368.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $303.32.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NSC traded up $1.24 during trading on Friday, reaching $291.40. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 942,283 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,035,614. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.85. Norfolk Southern has a 52-week low of $201.63 and a 52-week high of $302.24. The company has a market capitalization of $65.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 1.33. The company’s fifty 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 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.46. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 18.78% and a net margin of 23.59%.The company had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.04 earnings per share. Norfolk Southern’s quarterly revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 6th will be issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 6th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is 41.19%.

Insider Activity

In other Norfolk Southern news, EVP Anil Bhatt sold 900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.60, for a total transaction of $253,440.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 1,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $397,900.80. The trade was a 38.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 1,650 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $282.97 per share, with a total value of $466,900.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 12,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,395,640. The trade was a 15.94% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. Tritonpoint Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 3.5% in the 3rd 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 during the period. Massachusetts Wealth Management raised its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Wealth Management now owns 5,986 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,798,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. lifted its holdings 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 during the period. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC increased 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 buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Finally, Confluence Wealth Services Inc. lifted its stake in 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 buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories 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.

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.