Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Receives $268.79 Average PT from Brokerages

Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $266.10.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on NSC shares. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $275.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $269.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Stephens increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In related news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 2.2 %

NYSE NSC opened at $221.65 on Friday. Norfolk Southern has a 12 month low of $201.63 and a 12 month high of $277.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $230.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $244.93. The stock has a market cap of $54.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.72 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.01 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.04%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 2nd will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.44%. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is 36.89%.

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.