Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Price Target Raised to $305.00

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its price target lifted by Susquehanna from $304.00 to $305.00 in a research note published on Friday morning,MarketScreener reports. Susquehanna currently has a neutral rating on the railroad operator’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on NSC. Morgan Stanley upgraded Norfolk Southern from an “equal weight” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $340.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $347.00 to $333.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their price target on Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $314.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $303.32.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.4%

Norfolk Southern stock opened at $291.40 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The company has a market capitalization of $65.39 billion, a PE ratio of 22.86, a PEG ratio of 5.15 and a beta of 1.34. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $290.40 and its 200 day moving average is $286.03. Norfolk Southern has a 12-month low of $201.63 and a 12-month high of $302.24.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.46. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 23.59% and a return on equity of 18.78%. The firm had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.04 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Norfolk Southern will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Sameh Fahmy acquired 1,650 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $282.97 per share, with a total value of $466,900.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 12,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,395,640. The trade was a 15.94% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director William Jr. Clyburn bought 204 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 5th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $294.79 per share, with a total value of $60,137.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 405 shares in the company, valued at approximately $119,389.95. This trade represents a 101.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NSC. Pentwater Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter worth $826,128,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 2nd quarter worth $613,255,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake 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 valued at $392,396,000 after acquiring an additional 1,103,748 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the third quarter valued at $329,629,000. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 550.6% in the second quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 983,366 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $251,712,000 after acquiring an additional 832,210 shares during the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about 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.

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.