Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) Receives $308.95 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) has been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the twenty-five research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $308.95.

Several analysts recently issued reports on NSC shares. Barclays cut their target price on Norfolk Southern from $340.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Norfolk Southern from an “equal weight” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Citigroup cut their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $317.00 to $300.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings raised Norfolk Southern from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Norfolk Southern from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Tritonpoint Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 3.5% during the third quarter. Tritonpoint Wealth LLC now owns 1,041 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $313,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Massachusetts Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 0.6% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Wealth Management now owns 5,986 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,798,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Gilbert & Cook Inc. boosted its position in Norfolk Southern by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 2,515 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $726,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Norfolk Southern by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 791 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $228,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Confluence Wealth Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 3,090 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $892,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. 75.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock opened at $289.25 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $64.96 billion, a PE ratio of 22.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.22 and a beta of 1.31. Norfolk Southern has a 12-month low of $201.63 and a 12-month high of $319.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $300.74 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $292.10.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.46. The firm had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.03 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 23.59% and a return on equity of 18.78%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.04 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Norfolk Southern will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 6th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 6th. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is presently 42.35%.

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.