Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Given New $270.00 Price Target at Loop Capital

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its target price raised by research analysts at Loop Capital from $261.00 to $270.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the railroad operator’s stock. Loop Capital’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 10.69% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on the company. Barclays upgraded Norfolk Southern from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $305.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Susquehanna cut their price target on Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. UBS Group raised Norfolk Southern from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $238.00 to $302.00 in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Morgan Stanley downgraded Norfolk Southern from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $185.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $262.74.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 1.9 %

NYSE NSC traded up $4.58 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $243.92. 209,744 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,265,555. Norfolk Southern has a 52 week low of $183.09 and a 52 week high of $263.66. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $253.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $230.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The company has a market cap of $60.06 billion, a PE ratio of 30.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 26th. The railroad operator reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.87 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.09 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 15.03% and a return on equity of 21.06%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.42 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern will post 11.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BKM Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 10.5% in the 1st quarter. BKM Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,318 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,610,000 after purchasing an additional 599 shares in the last quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $203,000. LVW Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $205,000. Roberts Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $565,000. Finally, River Street Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. River Street Advisors LLC now owns 3,681 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $938,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. 75.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the rail transportation of raw materials, intermediate products, and finished goods in the United States. The company transports agriculture, forest, and consumer products comprising soybeans, wheat, corn, fertilizers, livestock and poultry feed, food products, food oils, flour, sweeteners, ethanol, lumber and wood products, pulp board and paper products, wood fibers, wood pulp, beverages, and canned goods; chemicals consist of sulfur and related chemicals, petroleum products comprising crude oil, chlorine and bleaching compounds, plastics, rubber, industrial chemicals, chemical wastes, sand, and natural gas liquids; metals and construction materials, such as steel, aluminum products, machinery, scrap metals, cement, aggregates, minerals, clay, transportation equipment, and military-related products; and automotive, including finished motor vehicles and automotive parts, as well as coal.