Sanford C. Bernstein Has Lowered Expectations for Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Stock Price

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its price target lowered by research analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein from $322.00 to $313.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the railroad operator’s stock. Sanford C. Bernstein’s price target points to a potential upside of 9.00% from the stock’s previous close.

NSC has been the subject of several other reports. Susquehanna raised their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $304.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Wolfe Research boosted 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. Evercore upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $298.00 to $299.00 in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Barclays decreased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $340.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised Norfolk Southern from an “equal weight” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $307.89.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.1%

NYSE NSC opened at $287.15 on Tuesday. Norfolk Southern has a 12 month low of $201.63 and a 12 month high of $319.94. The company has a market capitalization of $70.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.52, a PEG ratio of 5.23 and a beta of 1.31. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $299.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $292.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.78.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ORG Partners LLC lifted its stake 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 acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 207.1% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 86 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, GoalVest Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 933.3% during the 4th quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 93 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 84 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.