UPDATE: Bank of America Merrill Lynch Downgrades Norfolk Southern Corp. to Neutral, Lowers PT

In a report published Wednesday, Bank of America Merrill Lynch downgraded its rating on Norfolk Southern Corp.

from Buy to Neutral, and lowered its price target from $79.00 to $75.00. BofA Merrill Lynch noted, “NS is balancing volume growth at Auto and Intermodal with declines at Coal and Merchandise (Paper/Metals), post pricing above rail inflation, and focus on improving operational performance to hold its operating ratio sub-70% (it posted 67.5% in 2Q12). With fuel surcharge and volume declines outweighing pricing improvement, NS is focused on holding or improving returns on invested capital. The rails have historically traded between 12.5x-15.5x, and we target NS' shares to remain in that range.” Norfolk Southern Corp. closed on Tuesday at $66.01.