Susquehanna Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Stock

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its target price increased by stock analysts at Susquehanna from $304.00 to $305.00 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. Susquehanna’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 4.67% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Norfolk Southern from $293.00 to $288.00 in a report on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $317.00 to $300.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Benchmark reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Friday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $301.00 to $296.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Eight research 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $303.32.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NSC stock opened at $291.40 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $290.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $285.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.85. Norfolk Southern has a 52-week low of $201.63 and a 52-week high of $302.24. The stock has a market cap of $65.39 billion, a PE ratio of 22.86, a PEG ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 1.33.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In other news, Director William Jr. Clyburn acquired 204 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $294.79 per share, for a total transaction of $60,137.16. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 405 shares in the company, valued at $119,389.95. This represents a 101.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 1,650 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $282.97 per share, for a total transaction of $466,900.50. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 12,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,395,640. This represents a 15.94% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Norfolk Southern

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. New York State Teachers Retirement System boosted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 166,922 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $48,194,000 after purchasing an additional 1,775 shares during the last quarter. Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida now owns 1,335 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $385,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC grew its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC now owns 5,487 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,584,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. increased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 252.1% in the fourth quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. now owns 3,493 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,008,000 after acquiring an additional 2,501 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key 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.