Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen to a “sell” rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on NSC. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $317.00 to $300.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Norfolk Southern from an “equal weight” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Benchmark restated a “hold” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $310.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $307.89.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NYSE:NSC opened at $288.18 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.85. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $299.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $293.11. The stock has a market cap of $70.55 billion, a PE ratio of 22.60, a P/E/G ratio of 5.25 and a beta of 1.31. Norfolk Southern has a one year low of $201.63 and a one year high of $319.94.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,706 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $400,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 40.4% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,447 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,527,000 after acquiring an additional 1,855 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter valued at about $327,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 64.1% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 4,275 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,094,000 after purchasing an additional 1,670 shares during the period. Finally, CW Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 7.3% during the second quarter. CW Advisors LLC now owns 10,893 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,789,000 after purchasing an additional 743 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

About Norfolk Southern

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.