Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Price Target Cut to $272.00 by Analysts at Bank of America

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its price target dropped by Bank of America from $292.00 to $272.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the railroad operator’s stock. Bank of America‘s target price would suggest a potential upside of 15.20% from the stock’s current price.

Several other analysts also recently commented on NSC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Stephens increased 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 note on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. One 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.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $275.63.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NSC opened at $236.11 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $246.01 and its 200 day moving average price is $249.63. 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 has a 12 month low of $206.71 and a 12 month high of $277.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 607 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $646,271.82. This represents a 32.29 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.