Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $262.89.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on NSC shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $236.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 13th. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $245.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 2.3 %

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock opened at $214.69 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $48.50 billion, a PE ratio of 34.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.31. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $227.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $238.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.68. Norfolk Southern has a 52-week low of $183.09 and a 52-week high of $263.66.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 11.76% and a return on equity of 19.61%. The business had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.05 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.32 earnings per share. Norfolk Southern’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Norfolk Southern will post 11.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 3rd were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.52%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 86.96%.

Insider Activity at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, CMO Claude E. Elkins sold 8,329 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.43, for a total transaction of $1,902,593.47. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CMO Claude E. Elkins sold 8,329 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.43, for a total transaction of $1,902,593.47. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 14th. The stock was bought at an average price of $219.25 per share, for a total transaction of $438,500.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,534,750. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Norfolk Southern

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in NSC. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 956 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $226,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 1,016 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $240,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Group LLC now owns 9,986 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,360,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 7,456 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,762,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 1,679 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $397,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Norfolk Southern Company Profile

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.