JPMorgan Chase & Co. Cuts Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Price Target to $296.00

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its target price decreased by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $301.00 to $296.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has a neutral rating on the railroad operator’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on NSC. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $298.00 to $299.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $354.00 to $297.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $347.00 to $333.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. UBS Group cut their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $321.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $293.00 target price on Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $303.32.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NSC stock opened at $291.40 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $65.39 billion, a PE ratio of 22.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.15 and a beta of 1.34. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $290.40 and a 200-day moving average of $286.03. 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 has a one year low of $201.63 and a one year high of $302.24.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.04 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Norfolk Southern will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 6th will be given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 6th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.35%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In related news, Director William Jr. Clyburn bought 204 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $294.79 per share, with a total value of $60,137.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 405 shares in the company, valued at $119,389.95. The trade was a 101.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Anil Bhatt sold 900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.60, for a total value of $253,440.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 1,413 shares in the company, valued at $397,900.80. The trade was a 38.91% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NSC. Tritonpoint Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 3.5% in the third quarter. Tritonpoint Wealth LLC now owns 1,041 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $313,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Wealth Management now owns 5,986 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,798,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 2,515 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $726,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 791 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $228,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Confluence Wealth Services Inc. grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 3,090 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $892,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines 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.