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

Shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) have been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the twenty-five brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, sixteen have issued a hold recommendation and eight have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $303.5238.

A number of brokerages have recently commented on NSC. Morgan Stanley upgraded Norfolk Southern from an “equal weight” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the company from $354.00 to $297.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $288.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $298.00 to $299.00 in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $347.00 to $333.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Sameh Fahmy acquired 1,650 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $282.97 per share, with a total value of $466,900.50. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 12,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,395,640. The trade was a 15.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director William Jr. Clyburn bought 204 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 5th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $294.79 per share, with a total value of $60,137.16. Following the purchase, the director owned 405 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $119,389.95. This represents a 101.49% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have acquired a total of 4,454 shares of company stock worth $1,259,874 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Norfolk Southern

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of NSC. Tritonpoint Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Tritonpoint Wealth LLC now owns 1,041 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $313,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 0.6% in the 3rd 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. grew its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 2,515 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $726,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 75.0% during the third quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 84 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. Finally, Princeton Global Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 1,640 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $420,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 0.2%

Norfolk Southern stock opened at $290.09 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $289.61 and a 200-day moving average of $284.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. Norfolk Southern has a twelve month low of $201.63 and a twelve month high of $302.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.09 billion, a PE ratio of 22.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.09 and a beta of 1.33.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.30 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.31 by ($0.01). The company 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 company’s revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.25 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 7th 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, November 7th. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is 41.19%.

About Norfolk Southern

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.