Susquehanna Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Stock

by · The Cerbat Gem

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC – Get Free Report) had its price objective raised by equities research analysts at Susquehanna from $288.00 to $304.00 in a report released on Monday,MarketScreener reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the railroad operator’s stock. Susquehanna’s price target points to a potential upside of 4.52% from the stock’s previous close.

NSC has been the subject of several other reports. Robert W. Baird set a $293.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Friday, December 5th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $314.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 24th. UBS Group dropped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $321.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Barclays increased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised shares of Norfolk Southern from an “equal weight” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $303.52.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock traded up $4.48 on Monday, hitting $290.85. The stock had a trading volume of 1,070,855 shares, compared to its average volume of 949,865. The stock has a market cap of $65.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.19, a PEG ratio of 4.98 and a beta of 1.33. Norfolk Southern has a one year low of $201.63 and a one year high of $302.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $289.32 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $283.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.30 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.31 by ($0.01). Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 24.22% and a return on equity of 18.93%. The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.25 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Norfolk Southern will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director William Jr. Clyburn acquired 204 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $294.79 per share, for a total transaction of $60,137.16. Following the acquisition, the director owned 405 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $119,389.95. This represents a 101.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 1,650 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $282.97 per share, with a total value of $466,900.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 12,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,395,640. The trade was a 15.94% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders acquired a total of 4,454 shares of company stock valued at $1,259,874 over the last ninety days. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Norfolk Southern

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Aberdeen Group plc grew its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 6.4% during the second quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 529,726 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $135,610,000 after purchasing an additional 31,878 shares in the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 13,000.0% during the third quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 3,668 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,102,000 after buying an additional 3,640 shares during the last quarter. Morningstar Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the second quarter worth $597,000. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 682.1% during the second quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 56,012 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $14,337,000 after acquiring an additional 48,850 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Corp purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter valued at $565,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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