Stephens Upgrades Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) to Hold

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

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on NSC. Evercore set a $325.00 price objective on Norfolk Southern in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $308.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Barclays raised their price target on Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. UBS Group set a $327.00 price target on Norfolk Southern in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $322.00 to $313.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $322.83.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE NSC opened at $319.66 on Wednesday. Norfolk Southern has a one year low of $257.49 and a one year high of $326.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $312.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $302.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.79 billion, a PE ratio of 26.93, a P/E/G ratio of 5.96 and a beta of 1.27.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.49 by $0.16. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.91% and a return on equity of 18.30%. The firm had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.13 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.69 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern will post 12.12 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the third quarter valued at $25,000. BNP Paribas bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC raised its holdings 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 valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 239.3% during the fourth quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 95 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 669.2% during the third quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 100 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.