Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Receives $276.63 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $274.84.

NSC has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $285.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Loop Capital lowered Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $289.00 to $256.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price target on Norfolk Southern from $292.00 to $272.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere purchased 607 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at $646,271.82. The trade was a 32.29 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NSC. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE:NSC opened at $235.51 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $245.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $249.32. Norfolk Southern has a fifty-two week low of $206.71 and a fifty-two week high of $277.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.33 billion, a PE ratio of 20.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.04%. Sell-side analysts expect that Norfolk Southern will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is presently 46.71%.

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.