Citigroup Lowers Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Price Target to $300.00

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its price objective cut by Citigroup from $317.00 to $300.00 in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the railroad operator’s stock. Citigroup’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 2.95% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Wolfe Research upped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $361.00 to $368.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $288.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $303.32.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 0.4%

NSC opened at $291.40 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $290.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $285.85. Norfolk Southern has a fifty-two week low of $201.63 and a fifty-two week high of $302.24. 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 5.08 and a beta of 1.33. 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 released 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. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 23.59% and a return on equity of 18.78%. The firm had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.04 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 1,650 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director owned 12,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,395,640. This represents a 15.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director William Jr. Clyburn purchased 204 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 5th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $294.79 per share, with a total value of $60,137.16. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 405 shares in the company, valued at approximately $119,389.95. This represents a 101.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Norfolk Southern

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. ORG Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 75.0% during the 3rd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 84 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 207.1% during the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 86 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC raised its position in Norfolk Southern by 933.3% during the fourth quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 93 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MMA Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth $28,000. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

More Norfolk Southern News

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.