Jefferies Financial Group Has Lowered Expectations for Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Stock Price

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its price objective decreased by Jefferies Financial Group from $350.00 to $310.00 in a research report issued on Monday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has a “hold” rating on the railroad operator’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 7.46% from the company’s current price.

NSC has been the topic of several other reports. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $322.00 to $313.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $296.00 to $292.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Argus upgraded shares of Norfolk Southern to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Norfolk Southern to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $340.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $305.53.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NYSE:NSC opened at $288.49 on Monday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $70.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.63, a PEG ratio of 5.25 and a beta of 1.31. The company’s 50-day moving average is $299.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $293.18. Norfolk Southern has a 1-year low of $202.54 and a 1-year high of $319.94.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.46. The company had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.03 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 23.59% and a return on equity of 18.78%. Norfolk Southern’s revenue was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.04 EPS. Analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,825,837 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $6,012,836,000 after buying an additional 272,651 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,710,549 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,803,630,000 after buying an additional 379,819 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,878,029 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,401,797,000 after buying an additional 36,205 shares during the period. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. now owns 4,182,921 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,070,702,000 after buying an additional 184,586 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,084,701,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Norfolk Southern News

Here are the key news stories impacting Norfolk Southern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wolfe Research raised its price target to $355 and kept an “outperform” rating, signaling meaningful upside and upbeat freight/earnings expectations. Wolfe Research PT Raise Tickerreport
• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein reiterated its buy rating on NSC, providing continued fundamental support from an influential shop. Bernstein Keeps Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup raised its target to $313 but maintained a “neutral” rating — a modest supportive datapoint but not a clear buy signal. Citigroup PT Raise
• Neutral Sentiment: TD Cowen trimmed its target to $313 (from $314) but kept a “buy” rating — a small cut that still signals continued upside expectation. TD Cowen PT Adjust
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan slightly lowered its target to $292 and kept a “neutral” rating, a small adjustment that likely has limited impact on momentum. JPMorgan PT Cut
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies cut its target sharply to $310 from $350 and kept a “hold” rating — the largest downward adjustment among peers and a signal that upside may be more limited than previously thought. Jefferies PT Cut
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks published analysis saying EPS estimates are moving “southbound” and discussed risks to the stock if revisions continue, which could pressure valuation and near-term trader sentiment. Zacks EPS Analysis

About Norfolk Southern

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.