Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $268.79.

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Susquehanna dropped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $285.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $292.00 to $272.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NSC opened at $219.99 on Friday. 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 company has a fifty day simple moving average of $233.78 and a 200 day simple moving average of $245.74. The firm has a market cap of $54.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.03, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern has a twelve month low of $201.63 and a twelve month high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.04%. Equities research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is 46.71%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 607 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

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.