JPMorgan Chase & Co. Issues Positive Forecast for Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Stock Price

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its price objective increased by equities research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $316.00 to $338.00 in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the railroad operator’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective suggests a potential downside of 3.80% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on NSC. Weiss Ratings cut Norfolk Southern from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $350.00 to $310.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 6th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $363.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday. Finally, Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $337.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $342.88.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NSC traded up $2.79 on Friday, reaching $351.34. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 432,194 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,225,234. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $316.67 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $305.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $78.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.60, a PEG ratio of 6.05 and a beta of 1.27. Norfolk Southern has a 12-month low of $268.23 and a 12-month high of $358.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.52 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.32 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $3.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.38 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.91% and a return on equity of 18.30%. The firm’s revenue was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.29 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern will post 12.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in NSC. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,825,837 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $6,012,836,000 after buying an additional 272,651 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,710,549 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,803,630,000 after acquiring an additional 379,819 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,878,029 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,401,797,000 after acquiring an additional 36,205 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,084,701,000. Finally, Pentwater Capital Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. Pentwater Capital Management LP now owns 3,019,000 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $871,646,000 after acquiring an additional 269,000 shares in the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Norfolk Southern

Here are the key news stories impacting Norfolk Southern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Norfolk Southern reported Q2 results above expectations, with EPS of $3.52 topping estimates and revenue reaching a record level, helped by stronger freight demand, intermodal growth, and higher fuel surcharges. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target on Norfolk Southern to $385 from $365 and reiterated an overweight rating, signaling further upside potential from current levels. Benzinga coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Several post-earnings summaries highlighted record revenue and improved demand trends, reinforcing investor confidence in the railroad’s operating momentum. WSJ article
• Neutral Sentiment: Some coverage noted that profitability was pressured by higher fuel costs and margin compression, offsetting part of the benefit from stronger revenue growth. Seeking Alpha article
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are also watching the ongoing Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger discussion, including Canadian National’s decision to drop opposition in exchange for expanded access, though this is not an immediate earnings driver. WSJ merger article

Norfolk Southern Company Profile

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.