Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Price Target Cut to $288.00 by Analysts at Robert W. Baird

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its target price decreased by equities researchers at Robert W. Baird from $293.00 to $288.00 in a research note issued on Friday,MarketScreener reports. Robert W. Baird’s price objective would suggest a potential downside of 1.17% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on NSC. Barclays lowered their target price on Norfolk Southern from $340.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Wolfe Research increased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $361.00 to $368.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $301.00 to $296.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $298.00 to $299.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $303.32.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.4%

NSC opened at $291.40 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The company has a market cap of $65.39 billion, a PE ratio of 22.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $290.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $285.67. Norfolk Southern has a twelve month low of $201.63 and a twelve month high of $302.24.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Norfolk Southern news, EVP Anil Bhatt sold 900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were 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 owned 1,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $397,900.80. This represents a 38.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director William Jr. Clyburn bought 204 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 5th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $294.79 per share, for a total transaction of $60,137.16. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 405 shares in the company, valued at approximately $119,389.95. This trade represents a 101.49% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. New York State Teachers Retirement System raised its position 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 acquiring an additional 1,775 shares during the period. Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. lifted its position in 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 buying an additional 2,501 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern News Roundup

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.