Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Given New $377.00 Price Target at Robert W. Baird

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its target price hoisted by Robert W. Baird from $360.00 to $377.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. Robert W. Baird currently has a neutral rating on the railroad operator’s stock.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. 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 research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Wolfe Research lifted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Evercore set a $358.00 price objective on Norfolk Southern in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $365.00 to $385.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Norfolk Southern from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $348.00.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NSC stock opened at $343.05 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $317.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $306.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. The company has a market capitalization of $77.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.27, a P/E/G ratio of 6.32 and a beta of 1.27. Norfolk Southern has a 12 month low of $268.23 and a 12 month high of $358.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.52 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.32 by $0.20. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 18.21% and a net margin of 21.02%.The firm had revenue of $3.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.38 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.29 earnings per share. Norfolk Southern’s quarterly revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Norfolk Southern will post 12.42 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 7th will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.08%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth about $1,084,701,000. Pentwater Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the third quarter valued at about $826,128,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 545.2% in the 3rd 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 acquiring an additional 1,103,748 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth $329,629,000. Finally, HBK Investments L P boosted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 67.7% during the fourth quarter. HBK Investments L P now owns 2,130,000 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $614,974,000 after purchasing an additional 860,000 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Norfolk Southern

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

• Positive Sentiment: Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific submitted supplemental information to the Surface Transportation Board (STB), including expanded gateway-pricing commitments and customer protections. The companies said the measures are designed to support faster, more reliable service and address concerns about the proposed merger. The filing may improve the merger’s regulatory prospects, although STB approval remains outstanding. Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern merger customer assurances
• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets raised its Norfolk Southern price target to $355 from $310, while Robert W. Baird increased its target to $377 from $360. The higher targets suggest analysts see additional potential value, despite BMO retaining a “market perform” rating and Baird maintaining a “neutral” rating. Benzinga analyst price targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports citing JPMorgan, Wells Fargo and Citigroup analysts indicated expectations for Norfolk Southern shares to appreciate, while Barclays continued to rate the stock “buy.” These calls reinforce a generally constructive outlook but provide less immediate impact than a change in earnings or company guidance. JPMorgan analyst outlook Wells Fargo analyst outlook Citigroup analyst outlook Barclays rating
• Negative Sentiment: No new material negative operating or earnings update was reported. However, merger-related regulatory uncertainty remains a risk, and the stock’s elevated valuation means investors may require continued execution and progress toward approval to justify further gains.

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.