Stifel Nicolaus Lowers Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Price Target to $247.00

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its target price cut by stock analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $265.00 to $247.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “hold” rating on the railroad operator’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price target points to a potential upside of 11.38% from the company’s previous close.

NSC has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $293.00 price target on the stock. Stephens upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $285.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $268.79.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 1.6 %

NYSE NSC traded up $3.45 on Monday, hitting $221.76. 81,602 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,293,220. Norfolk Southern has a twelve month low of $201.63 and a twelve month high of $277.60. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $237.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $246.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

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

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere purchased 607 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Institutional investors 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.