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

Shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the twenty-three research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $301.10.

NSC has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. Weiss Ratings downgraded Norfolk Southern from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 25th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $321.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $288.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $316.00 to $307.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 24th.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock opened at $292.09 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $65.54 billion, a PE ratio of 22.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $288.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $273.67. Norfolk Southern has a one year low of $201.63 and a one year 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 released its quarterly earnings results 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). The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 24.22% and a return on equity of 18.93%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.25 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 7th were issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 7th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.19%.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In other news, EVP Anil Bhatt sold 900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.60, for a total transaction of $253,440.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 1,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $397,900.80. The trade was a 38.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Richard H. Anderson bought 2,600 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 27th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $281.86 per share, with a total value of $732,836.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 7,000 shares in the company, valued at $1,973,020. The trade was a 59.09% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,706 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $400,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 15.5% during the first quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 22,678 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $5,371,000 after purchasing an additional 3,048 shares during the last quarter. Vestcor Inc lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 1.5% during the first quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 4,507 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,067,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Arkadios Wealth Advisors lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 7.7% during the first quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 3,295 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $780,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares during the period. Finally, Alberta Investment Management Corp boosted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 11.6% in the first quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp now owns 49,072 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $11,623,000 after purchasing an additional 5,100 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.