Robert W. Baird Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Stock

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its price objective raised by equities research analysts at Robert W. Baird from $288.00 to $315.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,MarketScreener reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the railroad operator’s stock. Robert W. Baird’s price target suggests a potential upside of 3.95% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on NSC. Benchmark reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, January 30th. Evercore raised their price target on Norfolk Southern from $298.00 to $299.00 in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Citigroup decreased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $317.00 to $300.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $347.00 to $333.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised their target price on Norfolk Southern from $361.00 to $368.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eighteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $308.95.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NSC opened at $303.02 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $300.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $291.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The company has a market cap of $68.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.47 and a beta of 1.31. Norfolk Southern has a 1-year low of $201.63 and a 1-year high of $319.94.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.22 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 the consensus estimate of $3.03 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 18.78% and a net margin of 23.59%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.04 EPS. Analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,084,701,000. Pentwater Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the third quarter worth about $826,128,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 1,103,748 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern in the third quarter valued at about $329,629,000. Finally, HBK Investments L P grew its stake in Norfolk Southern by 67.7% during the 4th quarter. HBK Investments L P now owns 2,130,000 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $614,974,000 after purchasing an additional 860,000 shares in the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.