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

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

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on NSC. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on Norfolk Southern from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Zacks Research cut shares of Norfolk Southern from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $298.00 to $299.00 in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Friday. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $303.32.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock opened at $291.40 on Friday. Norfolk Southern has a twelve month low of $201.63 and a twelve month high of $302.24. 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’s 50 day moving average is $290.40 and its 200 day moving average is $286.03. The company has a market cap of $65.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.15 and a beta of 1.34.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.46. The business had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.04 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director William Jr. Clyburn acquired 204 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 5th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $294.79 per share, for a total transaction of $60,137.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 405 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $119,389.95. The trade was a 101.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Anil Bhatt sold 900 shares of the 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $397,900.80. This represents a 38.91% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NSC. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,706 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $400,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 40.4% during the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,447 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,527,000 after buying an additional 1,855 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $327,000. PFG Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 5.6% during the 2nd quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 1,857 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $475,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pure Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $235,000. Institutional investors 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.

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.