Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.09 EPS

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The railroad operator reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.58 by ($0.09), Briefing.com reports. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 21.06% and a net margin of 15.03%. The company had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.05 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.32 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock traded up $0.06 during trading on Thursday, reaching $236.28. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 387,558 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,270,625. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. The firm has a market cap of $58.17 billion, a PE ratio of 29.40, a P/E/G ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern has a 52 week low of $183.09 and a 52 week high of $263.66. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $252.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $232.12.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.29%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on NSC. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $250.00 to $245.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st. Citigroup increased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Norfolk Southern in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $300.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $270.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $262.32.

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.