Susquehanna Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Stock Price

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its price target lowered by Susquehanna from $285.00 to $265.00 in a research note published on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the railroad operator’s stock.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on NSC. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $272.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Citigroup boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $283.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $275.68.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of NSC opened at $233.62 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $52.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.73. Norfolk Southern has a 52 week low of $206.71 and a 52 week high of $277.60. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $253.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $245.41.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The railroad operator reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.11 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.08 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.25% and a net margin of 19.85%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.65 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern will post 11.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Friday, November 1st were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 1st. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.70%.

Insider Activity at Norfolk Southern

In other news, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 350 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $249.37 per share, for a total transaction of $87,279.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 10,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,580,979.50. This trade represents a 3.50 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth $30,000. HWG Holdings LP bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the second quarter worth $31,000. Coastline Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the third quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the third quarter valued at $33,000. 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.