JPMorgan Chase & Co. Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Stock Price

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its price target dropped by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $301.00 to $296.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the railroad operator’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price would indicate a potential upside of 1.58% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Morgan Stanley upgraded Norfolk Southern from an “equal weight” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $321.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Robert W. Baird set a $293.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $347.00 to $333.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Eight equities research 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 data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $303.32.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.4%

NSC stock opened at $291.40 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $290.40 and a 200-day 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 capitalization of $65.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.86, a PEG ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.85.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced 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 business had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.03 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 18.78% and a net margin of 23.59%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.04 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Norfolk Southern will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 1,650 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $282.97 per share, with a total value of $466,900.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 12,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,395,640. The trade was a 15.94% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Anil Bhatt sold 900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.60, for a total transaction of $253,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 1,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $397,900.80. The trade was a 38.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Norfolk Southern

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. Tritonpoint Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Tritonpoint Wealth LLC now owns 1,041 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $313,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Wealth Management increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 0.6% in 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 period. Gilbert & Cook Inc. lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 1.4% in the fourth 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 last quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.6% during the fourth 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 period. Finally, Confluence Wealth Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.1% in 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 last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key 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.