Wolfe Research Issues Positive Forecast for Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Stock Price

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its price objective increased by Wolfe Research from $350.00 to $355.00 in a research note published on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. Wolfe Research currently has an outperform rating on the railroad operator’s stock.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $301.00 to $296.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $288.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Evercore raised their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $298.00 to $299.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Benchmark reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $304.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $305.53.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock opened at $288.49 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $70.63 billion, a PE ratio of 22.63, a PEG ratio of 5.25 and a beta of 1.31. Norfolk Southern has a 12 month low of $202.54 and a 12 month high of $319.94. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $299.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $293.18.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 firm’s revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.04 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Norfolk Southern will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 6th were paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 6th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.35%.

Institutional Trading of Norfolk Southern

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,825,837 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $6,012,836,000 after purchasing an additional 272,651 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,710,549 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,803,630,000 after acquiring an additional 379,819 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,878,029 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,401,797,000 after acquiring an additional 36,205 shares in the last quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. now owns 4,182,921 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,070,702,000 after acquiring an additional 184,586 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,084,701,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Key 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

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.