Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Given New $313.00 Price Target at Sanford C. Bernstein

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its price objective reduced by Sanford C. Bernstein from $322.00 to $313.00 in a research report report published on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the railroad operator’s stock.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on NSC. Argus upgraded Norfolk Southern to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. UBS Group cut shares of Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $342.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $304.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $340.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 30th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $308.89.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NYSE NSC opened at $287.48 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.55, a PEG ratio of 5.15 and a beta of 1.31. Norfolk Southern has a 1-year low of $201.63 and a 1-year high of $319.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $299.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $292.89.

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

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Trading of Norfolk Southern

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NSC. ORG Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 75.0% in the 3rd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 84 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 207.1% during the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 86 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the period. BNP Paribas purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, GoalVest Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 933.3% in the fourth quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 93 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.