Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twenty-three research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, fifteen have issued a hold recommendation and seven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $304.4737.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on NSC. Wolfe Research boosted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $361.00 to $368.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $317.00 to $300.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $354.00 to $297.00 in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $301.00 to $296.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th.

Insider Activity

In other Norfolk Southern news, EVP Anil Bhatt sold 900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.60, for a total value of $253,440.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,413 shares in the company, valued at approximately $397,900.80. The trade was a 38.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director William Jr. Clyburn acquired 204 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 5th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $294.79 per share, with a total value of $60,137.16. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 405 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $119,389.95. The trade was a 101.49% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Rossby Financial LCC grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 108.5% in the fourth quarter. Rossby Financial LCC now owns 565 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $163,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares during the period. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 21.1% in the 4th quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec now owns 10,529 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,040,000 after purchasing an additional 1,832 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 99.0% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 5,304 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,549,000 after buying an additional 2,639 shares during the last quarter. Callan Family Office LLC increased its position in Norfolk Southern by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. Callan Family Office LLC now owns 26,189 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $7,561,000 after buying an additional 1,648 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Litman Gregory Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $67,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NYSE NSC opened at $314.56 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $70.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.64 and a beta of 1.34. 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 50 day moving average is $293.35 and its 200-day moving average is $287.74. Norfolk Southern has a 12-month low of $201.63 and a 12-month high of $319.94.

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

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 6th will be paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 6th. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is 42.35%.

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.