Robert W. Baird Boosts Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Price Target to $270.00

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its price target lifted by investment analysts at Robert W. Baird from $260.00 to $270.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the railroad operator’s stock. Robert W. Baird’s target price points to a potential upside of 4.52% from the company’s current price.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $274.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Stephens raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $285.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $277.53.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE NSC traded up $1.60 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $258.34. 303,885 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,227,039. The firm has a market cap of $58.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.27, a PEG ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $249.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $248.69. Norfolk Southern has a twelve month low of $206.71 and a twelve month high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 19.85% and a return on equity of 20.25%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern will post 11.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 350 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $249.37 per share, for a total transaction of $87,279.50. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 10,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,580,979.50. The trade was a 3.50 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mizuho Securities USA LLC raised its stake in Norfolk Southern by 18,831.2% in the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 3,298,000 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $819,553,000 after purchasing an additional 3,280,579 shares in the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 25,181.8% in the 3rd quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 893,459 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $222,025,000 after purchasing an additional 889,925 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 48.4% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,702,344 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $671,532,000 after acquiring an additional 881,415 shares during the period. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the third quarter valued at approximately $207,830,000. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $122,798,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

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.