Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Price Target Cut to $259.00 by Analysts at Citigroup

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) had its price target decreased by analysts at Citigroup from $298.00 to $259.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "buy" rating on the railroad operator's stock. Citigroup's target price would indicate a potential upside of 18.84% from the company's previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $292.00 to $272.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and set a $285.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $284.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $268.68.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE NSC traded up $2.48 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $217.94. 1,401,075 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,248,782. The firm has a market cap of $53.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.85, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $237.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $246.72. 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 $201.63 and a 12-month high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share (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 expect that Norfolk Southern will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity 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 purchased at an average cost of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly 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 SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.6% in the first quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 26,502 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $6,277,000 after acquiring an additional 420 shares during the period. Constitution Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 100.0% in the first quarter. Constitution Capital LLC now owns 2,000 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $474,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Curat Global LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 1st quarter worth approximately $214,000. Salvus Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Norfolk Southern by 15.7% during the 1st quarter. Salvus Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,929 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,167,000 after buying an additional 668 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boltwood Capital Management lifted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. Boltwood Capital Management now owns 2,328 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $551,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company's stock.

About Norfolk Southern

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.