Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twenty-two research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given 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 $299.70.

Several equities analysts have commented on NSC shares. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $289.00 to $298.00 in a report on Thursday, September 25th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $316.00 to $307.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, July 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $288.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 24th.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NSC opened at $287.49 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $64.51 billion, a PE ratio of 21.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.33. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $286.45 and a 200-day moving average of $268.50. Norfolk Southern has a 52-week low of $201.63 and a 52-week high of $302.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.86.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by ($0.01). Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 24.22% and a return on equity of 18.93%. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.25 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 7th will be issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 7th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.19%.

Insider Activity at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 1,650 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $282.97 per share, for a total transaction of $466,900.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 12,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,395,640. This represents a 15.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Richard H. Anderson acquired 2,600 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 27th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $281.86 per share, with a total value of $732,836.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 7,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,973,020. This trade represents a 59.09% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. ORG Partners LLC grew its position in Norfolk Southern by 75.0% during the third quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 84 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 207.1% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 86 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 423.8% during the second quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 110 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

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.