Robert W. Baird Has Lowered Expectations for Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Stock Price

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its price objective dropped by equities researchers at Robert W. Baird from $293.00 to $288.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,MarketScreener reports. Robert W. Baird’s price target would indicate a potential downside of 1.17% from the company’s current price.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on NSC. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $298.00 to $299.00 in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $317.00 to $300.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. UBS Group cut their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $321.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 24th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $340.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Finally, Susquehanna upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $288.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $303.32.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE NSC 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 cap of $65.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.86, a P/E/G ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 1.33. Norfolk Southern has a 52 week low of $201.63 and a 52 week high of $302.24. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $290.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $285.85.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.46. The firm 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 business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.04 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Anil Bhatt sold 900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.60, for a total transaction of $253,440.00. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 1,650 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $282.97 per share, for a total transaction of $466,900.50. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 12,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,395,640. This trade represents a 15.94% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. ORG Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 75.0% in the third quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 84 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Norfolk Southern by 207.1% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 86 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. BNP Paribas bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, GoalVest Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 933.3% in the 4th quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 93 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.