Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Given New $305.00 Price Target at Susquehanna

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its price objective upped by Susquehanna from $304.00 to $305.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday,MarketScreener reports. Susquehanna currently has a neutral rating on the railroad operator’s stock.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $321.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 24th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $314.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Zacks Research cut Norfolk Southern from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $298.00 to $299.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $340.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $303.32.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NYSE:NSC traded up $1.24 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $291.40. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 942,283 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,035,614. 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 company has a market capitalization of $65.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.86, a P/E/G ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 1.33. Norfolk Southern has a fifty-two week low of $201.63 and a fifty-two week high of $302.24. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $290.40 and a 200-day moving average of $285.67.

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

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 6th will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 6th. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is currently 41.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director William Jr. Clyburn bought 204 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 5th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $294.79 per share, with a total value of $60,137.16. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 405 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $119,389.95. This trade represents a 101.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Anil Bhatt sold 900 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.60, for a total transaction of $253,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $397,900.80. This trade represents a 38.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NSC. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.3% during 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 acquiring an additional 272,651 shares during the period. Dodge & Cox grew its stake in Norfolk Southern by 1.8% during the second quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 10,859,121 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,779,609,000 after acquiring an additional 192,567 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.8% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,822,075 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,228,064,000 after purchasing an additional 36,362 shares during the last quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. now owns 4,182,921 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,070,702,000 after acquiring an additional 184,586 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Norfolk Southern by 6.5% during the second quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 3,289,431 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $841,994,000 after purchasing an additional 201,861 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern News Summary

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.