Susquehanna Trims Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Target Price to $245.00

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its target price cut by Susquehanna from $265.00 to $245.00 in a research report report published on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the railroad operator’s stock.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on the stock. Benchmark restated a buy rating and set a $277.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $294.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Barclays cut their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $275.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $262.89.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NSC opened at $209.90 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The business’s 50 day moving average is $228.23 and its 200-day moving average is $239.07. The stock has a market cap of $47.42 billion, a PE ratio of 33.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.31. Norfolk Southern has a twelve month low of $183.09 and a twelve month high of $263.66.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.58 by ($0.09). The business had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.05 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 19.61% and a net margin of 11.76%. The company’s revenue was down 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.32 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Norfolk Southern will post 11.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 3rd were issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.57%. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is currently 86.96%.

Insider Activity at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Sameh Fahmy acquired 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 14th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $219.25 per share, for a total transaction of $438,500.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 7,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,534,750. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 14th. The stock was bought at an average price of $219.25 per share, with a total value of $438,500.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 7,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,534,750. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CMO Claude E. Elkins sold 8,329 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.43, for a total transaction of $1,902,593.47. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in NSC. Cedar Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 662.5% during the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 122 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Operose Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the third quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Institutional investors 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.