Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Given New $286.00 Price Target at Royal Bank of Canada

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its target price hoisted by analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from $275.00 to $286.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the railroad operator’s stock. Royal Bank of Canada’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 11.12% from the stock’s previous close.

NSC has been the subject of several other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $291.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $289.00 to $309.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $277.74.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock traded up $0.63 on Thursday, reaching $257.37. 318,312 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,227,039. The company has a market capitalization of $58.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.17, a PEG ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.34. Norfolk Southern has a one year low of $206.71 and a one year high of $277.60. The company has a 50-day moving average of $249.36 and a 200 day moving average of $248.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.25% and a net margin of 19.85%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern will post 11.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 350 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $249.37 per share, with a total value of $87,279.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 10,350 shares in the company, valued at $2,580,979.50. The trade was a 3.50 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in NSC. Asset Planning Inc bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at $82,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 2,570 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $603,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. grew its stake in Norfolk Southern by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 3,349 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $786,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Norfolk Southern by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 86,396 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $20,325,000 after buying an additional 1,222 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avestar Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 1,068 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $251,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.