Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Price Target Cut to $284.00 by Analysts at UBS Group

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its target price dropped by UBS Group from $305.00 to $284.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the railroad operator’s stock. UBS Group’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 19.58% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on NSC. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays dropped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $293.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Susquehanna dropped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $272.74.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NSC traded up $0.89 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $237.50. The stock had a trading volume of 117,507 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,208,314. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $244.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $248.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. Norfolk Southern has a 1-year low of $206.71 and a 1-year high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Norfolk Southern

In related news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $646,271.82. This represents a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Company Profile

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.