Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) have received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twenty-three research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $319.8333.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their target price on Norfolk Southern from $308.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Zacks Research raised Norfolk Southern from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $322.00 to $313.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Evercore set a $325.00 price objective on Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, April 24th.

Institutional Trading of Norfolk Southern

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 207.1% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 86 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 933.3% in the 4th quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 93 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 239.3% in the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 95 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:NSC opened at $304.99 on Friday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $303.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $298.30. The company has a market capitalization of $68.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.69, a P/E/G ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern has a 1 year low of $241.82 and a 1 year high of $326.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.81.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.49 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.13 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 18.30% and a net margin of 21.91%.The company’s revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.69 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern will post 12.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th were given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.49%.

Norfolk Southern Company Profile

Norfolk Southern Corporation is a major U.S. freight railroad company that provides rail transportation and related logistics services. As a Class I carrier, the company operates an extensive network across the eastern United States and offers scheduled freight service for a broad range of industries. Its core operations include long-haul and regional rail freight transportation, intermodal services that move containers and trailers between rail and other modes, and terminal and switching services that support efficient rail shipments for industrial and port customers.

The company transports a variety of commodities, serving sectors such as coal and energy, automotive and automotive parts, chemicals, agriculture, metals and construction materials, and consumer goods.